


Two of a kind

by boleyn13



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Bad Decisions, Cheating, Consensual Underage Sex, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Jealousy, M/M, Odin's A+ Parenting, Romance, Tony Stark Has Issues, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 21:10:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 111,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5943190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boleyn13/pseuds/boleyn13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony knows he’s a fuck-up. At 31 he is stuck with a job he hates and Howard pretty much still controls his life. Things just cannot get worse. Until the beautiful teenager Tony took home on a drunken night out turns out to be the son of his new boss. Also his Russian assistant has probably been hired by Howard to spy on him. The only good thing in his life is his best friend Steve and Steve’s got a new boyfriend. Tony knows that shouldn’t bother him, but it does… he hates it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> A new story that revolves around Tony and how he tries to cope with the fact that his life didn't turn out the way he wanted it to - by making some very stupid decisions. Like sleeping with the teenage son of his boss. Yep, there is going to be underage sex featured in this story, so if that's no your thing - be warned. 
> 
> There are going to be multiple pairings in this story, the major ones can be found in the tags. 
> 
> For now updates will be monthly and becoming more regular as soon as I've finished "You've got a friend in me". Don't worry, each chapter is going to be quite long. 
> 
> That's all for now. I hope you have fun with it, enjoy the read and let me now what you think about it :)

„Another one.“ Tony downed his whiskey in one single gulp and pushed the glass towards the bartender. The golden liquid burned its way down his throat, but unfortunately it hadn’t helped yet to make Tony feel any better. Good thing that Tony didn’t lack conviction to drink himself into oblivion tonight.

That’s something only stupid people would do, right? So it was quite fitting, Tony was dying to do fuck something up. Blowing all his money on expensive whiskey, falling off this bar stool and passing out on the floor seemed like a good way to start. With a bit of luck some reporter of the New York Times would be hanging around here too and publish the whole incident tomorrow.

Yes, that would piss Howard off.

A thought that should make Tony at least feel some joy, but not tonight. Tonight he was so furious that even his fantasies about frustrating Howard, making him scream at the top of his lungs didn’t make Tony feel any better. For the mere reason that Howard was part of these fantasies and that was enough to make Tony’s fingers twitch. Either for another glass of whiskey or to form a fist and smash it against the counter. Tony didn’t care, he just wanted to stop thinking about his father’s face and that self-righteous smile on his lips. This man really had perfected every single way to look at other people to make them feel miserable.

Tony wasn’t talented at drawing, he simply wasn’t. Yet he knew that expression so well, that he would be able to capture it on paper instantly. Those eyes which told him that he had once again disappointed the great Howard Stark, but it didn’t surprise him in the least. What else to expect from Tony than disappointment?

The bartender finally placed the new drink in front of Tony and he grabbed it without losing a second. It wasn’t the best whiskey he had ever had, not even in the top 10, but it was alcohol and that was all Tony was after.

Fuck this shit, drinking should be fun. Tony had spent some of his greatest moments completely drunk. Fantastic, now he was actually starting to feel bad about getting drunk. What had his life come to? That only enraged Tony even more and he downed the glass before the bartender had even moved away. “Another?”

“No. Just get me a beer.”

You know you were in a terrible spot when even the bartender looked at you like he couldn’t wait for you to disappear. Tony was spending a lot of money here, that asshole was supposed to be grateful.

Tony flinched at his own thoughts, because this wasn’t him talking, but Howard. How Tony had always despised Howard’s way to treat the people working for him or… anyone else. Tony was better than that. Mental note to leave a giant tip.

Shifting on the bar stool Tony let his eyes travel over the other people spending their Thursday night here, while waiting for his beer. Yeah, every one of them had a better time than him and that was damned shame. Hell, Tony was very much used to disappoint Howard, but he had no intention to start disappointing himself.

Fine, Tony has had a terrible day. Not the first one, not the last one, but yeah, it bloody well sucked. His situation would still be the same tomorrow. He could very easily get shitfaced and the next morning he would still be a 31yearold male whose life was being completely dictated by his father. Well, at least he would have a hangover.

There was nothing Tony could do, nothing he hadn’t already tried. Getting out of the company and tell Howard to go fuck himself? Oh, how he’d love to do that. Definitely his favourite daydream, he could picture every single detail of it. From his voice of words to the stupid look on Howard’s face when Tony walked out the door.

Wasn’t going to happen though.

Nowadays it didn’t matter if you were a brilliant engineer with ideas that might revolutionize the world’s perspective of technology. It didn’t matter if you happen to be the son of the head of Stark Industries. Like Tony.

When had been the first time anyway? Had he been 20 or even younger? Howard had dismissed one of his ideas concerning the arc reactor, had called it childish, insufficient and dense. Just the memory made Tony’s blood boil. He knew that his idea had been good, he had put so much work into it and Howard accused him of having thought of this on his way to the office after a night filled with booze. Tony’s reaction hadn’t been the one of a sulking child, it had been completely natural. In a fit of rage he had told Howard that he could go with this idea to any other company, they would greet him with their arms open.

Even now Tony wanted to roll his eyes at himself. Incredible how naïve he had been. Howard had been glad to enlighten him. If he left Stark Industries, nobody would even listen to him, Howard would make sure of that. It didn’t help to be brilliant when you lacked the resources to put even the tiniest idea into action. Wasn’t it a blessing to be the kid of the most powerful man in the industry? Especially now that Howard made sure that Tony would always stay a kid.

A few days ago Tony had received this super casual message that he was being transferred. New job, new boss and Tony had no choice in what he actually wanted to do. Now that Stark Industries was working together with another major company (some were even talking about a possible fusion, yeah sure) it was a sign of good will to send the son of the CEO to work in a department of said other major company. Tony had the bitter taste of bile in his mouth, just thinking about it.

Most probably Howard had come up with this bullshit to humiliate Tony and to make fun of him. Finally Tony was working for someone else and it was still Howard all over again.

About a month ago Tony had read in the newspaper that some girl had run over her father with her car. 3 times. She was probably going to get 20 years in prison and Tony didn’t get what all the fuss was about. Her car was broken now, wasn’t she punished enough?

Taking a big sip from the beer Tony gave himself another moment to pity himself. Then it was enough. Tomorrow he would drag his sorry ass to his new office, his new boss and would wait for another possibility to screw up and to make Howard look at him with that self-righteous smile.

Fucking jackass

Sitting here alone and frustrated wouldn’t lighten his mood the least bit, so Tony pulled his phone out and called Steve. Since this day sucked Tony wasn’t surprised when Steve didn’t pick up. Now that just wasn’t fair, Steve should really feel ashamed for letting him down like this. Tony did have to let him know that. Time to write a text.

_I’m trying to get drunk off my ass and I need some company. P.S. Howard’s a dick_

When there wasn’t a response within the next minute Tony knew that there was no point in waiting.

He was all by himself and he would make the best out of it, doing the one thing that always made him feel better. New plan for the night – finishing this beer, have some real good sex and show up late for work with a hangover. Mental pat on the shoulder, good plan.

Turning around Tony leaned across the counter and took in the crowd for a second time. God, why he had chosen such a fancy place to get drunk? His chances to find what he was looking for here were slim. Tony wanted to get laid, fuck away his anger and frustration. In Tony’s experience the girls hanging out here wanted to be treated like princesses before they took their clothes off and then they weren’t worth the effort. Yes, Tony wanted to do something stupid, but first of all he deserved some fun. By now he had fucked around enough to tell by looking at people if they were worth the effort or not. At least he’d like to think that.

Leaving some bills on the counter Tony grabbed his beer and wandered around the bar to make sure that he wasn’t missing out on something. This place was huge after all… and packed. Slowly walking past a table full of girls, a blonde in a short red dress caught his eye. Pretty and she instantly noticed being watched. Tony smiled at her and she did the same before quickly turning away. Nah, he didn’t have time for this. The last thing Tony was in the mood for was shy.

When the blonde gazed at him again Tony had already lost all interest. He was Tony Stark, how hard could it be to…

Huh…

Looking straight past the table Tony’s eyes focused on the very end of the bar, partly hid in the shadows. Now this was interesting, he had no idea what to make of it yet, but Tony felt this tingle of intrigue.

Taking another gulp from his beer Tony walked over, ever so slowly. The person sitting there in the dark leaned slightly forward to take a drag from their cigarette and the movement revealed their face.

The rational part of Tony’s brain, yes admittedly underused, told him to back off. There were lots of other people around and it was one of Tony’s specialties to find a person willing to spread their legs anywhere. This was a bad idea, it would be incredibly stupid. Now was the moment that the other part of his brain spoke up. The part that all too clearly remembered Howard’s condescending tone and how easily he had pushed Tony aside once again. Wasn’t this what he expected of him? The wayward son doing something reckless and stupid?

Tony’s lips formed a smile when he thought about what Howard would do if he knew. Perhaps it would even give him a heart attack. All this talk about Tony being irresponsible. Hell, maybe Howard could decide over every single step Tony made in his career, but in his personal life Tony was allowed to fuck up as badly as he wanted to and tonight he didn’t give a shit. Tomorrow morning he would show up like he was supposed to and swallow most things he wanted to say, but tonight nobody could stop him from doing whatever the hell he wanted.

Also the kid was fucking gorgeous. What did Tony care about the rest?

Casually Tony slid onto the barstool next to him, putting his glass on the counter. The other one glanced at him shortly before ignoring him completely. Fine, Tony didn’t hide the fact that he was eyeing him from head to toe. No questions asked, this kid was by far the most attractive person in this place and Tony should feel bad for even thinking this, because he was so fucking young.

17 or 18 at most. Too young to be here, to be smoking a cigarette or to have a glass of wine standing in front of him. Way too young to make Tony think about taking him home. Although that thought couldn’t be avoided when you looked at these cheekbones.

The kid brought the cigarette back up to his lips, sucking on it softly and Tony marvelled at this mouth. Lascivious. A nicely shaped nose, pale skin and black strands of hair that framed this face. Tony would have described his features as delicate if the kid didn’t have some rough edge to him. Maybe it was the cigarette or the nonchalant way he was sitting there. As if it was absolutely normal to drink and smoke in a bar when you were a fucking minor.

One thing was for sure, Tony wouldn’t lose precious time thinking about how the kid had even got in here.

“So… does your mother know you’re out after midnight?”

When the kid now turned his head to him Tony felt like he had been punched in the gut. Did such an intense green even occur naturally? And shit, that kid knew how to glare at him.

“No, she doesn’t. What about yours? Didn’t she tell you that you shouldn’t talk to strangers?”

Yes, Tony even liked his voice. This was going to be good. “She did, but I never listened to anything she said. For example, she once told me if I ever saw a person drinking who is clearly too young to do that, I should tell an adult.”

A smirk spread across the kid’s lips. “You won’t do that.”

This was a dream come true. He hadn’t even flinched, completely calm and unbothered. A cheeky little bastard and Tony should run for his life. He was going to get into trouble. Instead he leaned a little bit closer. “What makes you think that?”

“Because you don’t want to. You would have done that immediately instead of sitting down and talking to me. And looking at me like you’re trying to picture what I look like without my clothes on.”

Ha. Tony had picked up a lot of people in bars and lots of them had had a feisty attitude or had flirted rather obviously with him, this was nothing new. Still it was rather surprising to hear a kid talk like that. Could be just an act or he was indeed experienced enough to be able to tell what Tony had in mind. Anyway, it made Tony’s skin tingle with excitement.

“Can you blame me? I don’t think you mind or why would you still be talking to me? I would offer to buy you a drink, but you’ve been already been taken care of.” Tony pointed at the glass in front of the kid.

“I’m quite good at taking care of myself, thank you very much.” Another drag and Tony knew that the kid was playing his game. It was way too obvious. No matter how sexy the kid made it look, it just wasn’t natural. He was putting on a show for Tony and that was working really well for him. “Unless you have something better to propose. Do you?”

Quite demanding, Tony could deal with that. “They serve some great 40 year old Scotch here.”

The smile playing on the kid’s lips was as gorgeous as it was cocky. He loosely held the cigarette between his fingers and his other hand closed around his glass. “I’m not really into old stuff…”

What a fucking tease. Again that part of Tony’s brain came alive and told him to run away, because this wasn’t just something stupid. This was trouble and not the good kind. Something that was going to be an awful lot of fun, but one second later you had to pay the price for it. That should worry him a lot more, but Tony had always been very bad at thinking about the consequences of his actions.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you are.”

Now the kid was arching an eyebrow, dropping the new ashes into the ashtray in front of him. “Yeah? How so?”

“Smoking, drinking, being in a bar. All things you’re clearly too young for, but you seem to enjoy them quiet a bit. Maybe you aren’t into old stuff, but you definitely are into things that are meant for people older than you. Tells me you want to play with the big boys.”

The kid seemed amused, just getting started. “I’m also not very much into boys. They bore me. You’d have to be talking about men to get me interested.”

From what Tony could tell the kid wasn’t used to be challenged. He pretty much expected that his cocky mouth would shock the person he was talking with. Tony had been around a lot, that didn’t work with him. He was going to frustrate the kid a bit. Starting with a chuckle. “Damn, you’re really cute.”

Instantly the kid’s face darkened and the smirk was gone. Sometimes it was so simple. “This conversation is over.”

“Yeah, thought so. You’re all talk, but that’s about it.”

“Oh, you think so?” The kid was pissed off and that made him indeed sound cute.

“Sure, you sit here, act all tough and talk big, but I bet if someone took you up on that offer you would run away.”

Stop it, you stupid idiot. Drink up your beer, get up and leave. Doesn’t matter how hot this kid is. You’ll regret it tomorrow. But tomorrow was still so far away.

“I can’t recall an offer being made.” Now he sounded calm again, took a sip from his wine.

Tony wanted to lick his lips, because the kid wasn’t doing anything else than making an offer. As much as this game was fun, Tony had no intention of playing it much longer. “How about I make one? You tell me your name and I buy you something better than what you’re having?”

Not saying anything the kid made a little gesture that indicated “Go for it”. Feeling content Tony gave the barkeeper a sign and ordered two glasses of Scotch. He didn’t fail to notice how the bartender avoided looking in the kid’s direction. Interesting, but in the end Tony didn’t care. Having their new drinks in front of them the kid stubbed out his cigarette. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Believe me, you passing out is the last thing I’m interested in. I just want to introduce you to the good stuff.” Raising his glass Tony gave him his most flirtatious smile. “I’m Tony and I think you owe me your name.”

“Apollo. So this is the good stuff?”

Either this was the most creative fake name Tony had ever heard or the kid’s parents really hated him. “Like the Greek god?”

“Precisely.” Almost suspiciously the kid eyed his glass before taking a sip and Tony wondered what the laws said about buying a minor a drink. Probably weren’t as strict as the ones about fucking them. “This is good…”

Time to speed things up a little bit, Tony had enough of watching the beautiful mouth on glasses and cigarettes when he just wanted to taste it. Those lips and that pale skin. “Of course it is. I have excellent taste… Now that you know that would you like me to introduce you to a few other things that you might enjoy…” The sound of his voice made clear what he was insinuating, although Tony had no doubt that the kid… Apollo knew exactly what was going on. This way it was just more fun. Truth to be told Tony was dying to hear the reply. By now his expectations were actually quite big. He knew after all that the kid was interested. A seventeen year-old who was casually drinking and smoking in a bar, acting as if it was completely normal for him. Of course he wanted to get taken home by an adult man who could fuck him good.

Tony didn’t care if it was just an act, if the kid was a virgin or a little slut, he wanted to throw him onto the next flat surface and make him squirm and gasp.

The corners of Apollo’s mouth twitched and Tony could see a slight twinkle in his eyes. Yeah, this was so wrong and it would be so good. “Other things? Could those be things that I’m considered to be too young for?”

Fuck, this shouldn’t be turning him on this much. Tony was going to go to hell for this, so he’d better make it worth it. “Definitely. Would you be interested otherwise?”

“I don’t know yet if I’m interested. Thrill me, old man. Something else you want to teach me about than good liquor?” Cocky little thing and now he was sipping again on his drink, eyes not leaving Tony for a second.

Fine, if Apollo wanted to go all-in, Tony could do that, show him what he was in for. By now he was pretty sure that there was no way to scare the kid off. He might be a tough cookie, but it simply wasn’t possible that he was just playing Tony. After all he could tell when somebody was eager and Apollo was. Making a quick decision Tony got up from his stool, crossed the short distance to Apollo and leaned in close. He used his body to his advantage, his chest touching Apollo’s back, his lips almost brushing over his ear. With immense satisfaction Tony felt the shiver that ran through the kid’s body. Not all that tough after all and Tony liked it. Young and still needed to be taught a lesson. Tony couldn’t wait to do that.

“You want to be treated like an adult? I’m going to do just that. I’m going to take you home and there I’m going to fuck you. The way I like it. Hard and fast. Oh and I’m definitely not going to ask if it’s too much or if you’re able to take it. I’m just going to pound that cute, little teenage ass like I’d do with any other.” Tony made a pause, just to smirk at how Apollo held his breath. “I’m going to leave now and if you’re interested, you’ll follow me right out that door.”

Backing off Tony left enough money on the counter for both of their drinks before he did just what he had told Apollo he’d do. He left. No need to turn around to make sure, Tony knew that the kid would follow him. The universe would be seriously fucked up if he didn’t. After this abomination of a day Tony deserved some good sex. Especially with such a beautiful, little thing that made his skin tingle with excitement, because it was so forbidden, wrong and… filthy.

Tony stepped outside into the cold night air and took in a deep breath. Only now he realised the slight buzz he was feeling. Okay, so he was drunk, another excuse for doing something so incredibly stupid. Hell, it even made it more fun.

Hearing the door opening behind him Tony smiled to himself. Apollo let out a gasp when Tony simply grabbed him and pressed him up against the next wall. Tony had definitely waited long enough to get a taste of this mouth. A hand slid around the neck of his neck and urged him closer, so their lips could meet.

Nothing shy about it, but a demanding, searing kiss that was perfect. These lips did taste sweet, because Tony wasn’t supposed to kiss them. Hell no and he definitely shouldn’t do it in an open street. He should get that kid to his place, spread him out on his bed and… His place… fuck…

Apollo wrapped his arms around him, leaning against him, opening up to kiss even more and Tony would lose his mind if he didn’t get his cock soon into the kid.

Pulling away Tony grabbed Apollo’s hand and pulled him along. “Taxi!”

“Eager, old man?”

The kid had no idea and Tony had a completely different problem now. He couldn’t take Apollo to his place, the risk that someone would see him was way too big. Now matter how badly Tony wanted to fuck this teenager, he wasn’t keen on fucking up his entire life. Not getting a piece of his cute ass was out of the question, so there was only one logical conclusion.

A taxi stopped next to them and Tony tore the door open, pushing Apollo more or less inside. Good thing that they couldn’t start fooling around in the backseat of a taxi, Tony had a text to write. Getting into the taxi next to the kid Tony told the driver the address and pulled out his phone. Please god, Steve had to read this message immediately.

_I need your place. If you’re home, get outta there_

Pressing send Tony tried to take a deep breath, but Apollo would completely get it wrong. Tony took a look at him, only to find that Apollo’s eyes hadn’t left him for a second. Damn, that smirk. That kid knew perfectly that nobody his age was supposed to look that seductive. Tony wondered how long that smirk would stay on his face when he would have him on his hands and knees.

The phone in his hand buzzed softly and thank God.

_I’m at work and what the fuck?!_

One simply had to love those ridiculous work schedules. What a relief.

_Don’t get home during the next hour. I owe you one._

Tony’s fingers almost missed the last two keys when he felt a hand sliding up his thigh. Maybe he turned his head a bit too quickly, but there was only Apollo, looking out the window as if nothing was happening. These long, delicate fingers wandered higher and fuck that kid really had some nerves.

Another buzz. Fingers that caressed the inside of his thigh. Damn…

_Forget it, idiot! Go to a fucking hotel!_

Yeah sure, something that would attract even more attention and… Oh, sweet Jesus, how the hell was Tony supposed to text when there was a hand expertly rubbing his crotch.

_Not an option. It’s an emergency please!!!_

Shit, that felt good. Again, something so stupid, letting the kid work his cock in a taxi. Tony hated it when he wasn’t allowed to make a sound, but it was so hot. Either that kid was crazy or he did have a lot of confidence.

_That hot? Fine, but you owe me big time. If I find one single come stain, I will end you_

Biting back a laugh Tony finally slid the phone back into this pocket and could concentrate on the important things. Like the hand squeezing him deliciously through his jeans. Since Apollo was already going for it, Tony wouldn’t stop him. Instead he put his hand on Apollo’s, urged him to squeeze harder and the kid complied. Wonderful, Tony was already forgetting what he had been all worked up about. A hand on his cock simply made everything better… he only needed to get out of his jeans.

After only a few minutes, which seemed to be way too long, the taxi pulled up in front of the apartment building Steve was living in and it was about damn time, since Tony was spotting a hard-on. The driver was handed a few bills and Tony hurried into the building, dragging the kid along. Thank god the elevator was already waiting for them and Tony ruggedly pushed him inside. A button pushed and then he was busy pulling Apollo against himself. Licking into his mouth Tony rubbed himself against the teen, letting him feel that he was true to his word. No games and Tony didn’t have the patience to be considerate, he just wanted to get off.

The kid seemed to be just fine with that, wrapping his arms around Tony’s shoulders, giving into the kiss completely. Good boy. He tasted so sweet, young and Tony wanted all of it. When the doors opened again Tony pulled slightly away, once again dragging Apollo along. Steve’s apartment was the third door to the right and Tony was so fucking excited, he almost dropped the keys. It didn’t help either that Apollo’s hand was massaging him through his jeans. God, he loved a cocky attitude. When the door finally sprang open Tony didn’t lose any time, he shoved Apollo inside and kicked the door shut with his foot.

“Where’s the bedroom?”

What did they need a bedroom for? Tony could fuck him right here on the floor, but yeah, the bed would be more comfortable. Also that was the place where Steve kept the lube. “Over there.”

He was really getting a hang of pushing this kid around, but now he finally had him on the bed. Lying there, watching him with big green eyes and breathing unevenly. Finally a sign that Apollo wasn’t quite as cool as he pretended to be. Tony would make a bet with himself how quickly he could make him scream and beg. Quickly Tony stripped off his shirt before descending on the kid, devouring his mouth. Fingers travelled over his naked skin without any hesitation and Apollo tilted his head into the kiss. Such an eager little shit.

Not losing anymore time Tony moved his hands to the kid’s waist, undoing his jeans, sliding them inside. Apollo loudly gasped into his mouth and Tony felt that lean body tensing up beneath him. Unable to suppress a smirk Tony softly sucked on Apollo’s neck while closing one hand around his cock.

“Shit…” A loud, unashamed moan and Tony really liked this. The kid was for sure going to make the sweetest sounds when Tony was going to fuck him. Speaking of that…

Unceremoniously Tony pushed the jeans and shorts down these lovely hips and pulled them off these long legs. Fucking beautiful and Tony was going to take him apart. Apollo’s shirt joined the jeans on the floor. There was still enough time to take a few seconds to look at the body spread out in front of him. “Aren’t you gorgeous?”

Because of the darkness he couldn’t be absolutely sure, but there might have been a light blush covering Apollo’s cheeks. “Is staring all you’re going to do?”

“Impatient little thing.”

Apollo groaned in annoyance and suddenly these long legs wrapped themselves around Tony’s waist. Using his grip on him Apollo rolled them around and Tony really didn’t mind having the kid sit on top of him. “You’re not moving fast enough, old man.”

He had long, delicate fingers that were working open Tony’s jeans. Hell, the kid might just want this as much as Tony did. Raising his hips Tony let Apollo discard of his jeans, then instantly pushed the kid back on his back, getting between his legs. “That fast enough for you?”

Instead of waiting for an answer Tony grabbed Apollo’s chin, placing his index and middle finger at his lips. “Come on, open up.”

A perfect tongue darted out and licked at his fingers before opening his mouth wide enough so Tony could push his fingers inside. He almost let out a moan when Apollo started to suck in earnest on his fingers. A million things came to his mind that he wanted to do with the kid, but at the moment Tony was too fucking turned on for anything too creative. He just wanted to shove his cock into the kid’s ass and get off. Pressing his crotch against Apollo Tony pulled his fingers back and reached between his spread legs.

“Fuck!”

“Now that’s a filthy mouth…” Tony grinned while working a finger inside of Apollo. The kid’s head fell back and his mouth dropped open. He seemed to be in pain and Tony had to admit that spit was no substitute for lube, especially with an ass this tight. This was going to be amazing. Pulling his finger back Tony switched to stroking Apollo’s cock, while reaching with his free hand for the nightstand. Steve was such a boy scout, one could count on him for always being prepared.

The second he had found it Tony coated his fingers with it and pressed them against this sweet hole. Apollo reacted with a moan and held onto Tony’s shoulders when the first finger was pushed inside of him. No profanity this time. Tony rewarded him with a kiss and began prepping him for his cock.

The kiss was deepened and Tony was already aching. This was taking way too long, so Tony added another finger. If it was too much Apollo wasn’t complaining and Tony spread his fingers slightly. The kid bit down on his lower lip and Tony growled. Slowly he was started to feel dizzy, all thoughts in his head were pushed away and replaced by pure desire. Tony felt those muscles clenching around his fingers and he almost came undone. Enough.

“I’m gonna fuck you now…”

Before he had even pulled his fingers out completely Apollo was desperately tugging on his shorts and when he couldn’t quite reach them with his hands, he used his feet. Tony decided to leave Steve a thank you note when he snatched one of the condoms from the nightstand and tossed away his shorts. His hands weren’t as skilled as usual when Tony covered his straining cock with the condom and then with lube. Damn, that had been a glass of whiskey too many.

Pushing Apollo’s legs up to his chest Tony got into position and thrust inside. The feeling was exquisite, overwhelming. Tony moaned in pleasure while he was sliding home. The kid was deliciously tight around him, squeezing him just fine. Propping himself up on his hands Tony leaned forward and gave an experimental thrust. His eyes were fixed Apollo’s face, only to find that these green eyes were wider than ever, staring directly at him. It just made Tony want him more and he started immediately moving in earnest. A quick rhythm of short, hard thrusts. Just like he had promised Tony fucked the kid like wanted to, taking what he needed and it felt fantastic.

Every thrust caused Apollo to moan shamelessly, his fingers clawing at Tony’s back. The kid was fucking beautiful. Dilated eyes, parted lips and that clear look of lust on his face. He was falling apart and Tony didn’t want to miss a second of that.

Grabbing one of Apollo’s ankles Tony pulled his leg away from his body and the kid got the hint, wrapping his legs back around Tony’s waist. The angle changed slightly and Tony gasped, his rhythm faltering for a second.

Apollo slid his fingers into Tony’s hair, roughly tugging him down into a searing kiss. Tony responded eagerly, speeding up his thrusts and let the pleasure take over. There wasn’t any of Tony’s usual finesse involved, he just wanted to get off. So he fucked the kid into the mattress, jerking him off with his right hand. It only needed a few tugs and Apollo came with a whimper. Seeing the kid’s face while he was coming was almost sending Tony over the edge. Yet he held back, continued to plunge deeply into that hot tightness a few more times before it got too much.

An intense orgasm ripped through him and Tony savoured the pleasure running through his veins. His muscles instantly relaxed, it felt like a well-deserved relief and Tony sighed happily. No better way to let off some steam than a good fuck.

Apollo was breathing hard, his eyes closed and Tony couldn’t resist pressing a kiss to his lips. Sitting back up on his kneels Tony pulled out and discarded of the condom. Fuck, he could fall asleep right now. Booze and sex were bad mixture.

Next to him Apollo was getting up to his feet and Tony watched him with sleepy eyes while the kid was picking up his jeans from the floor. Wow. This was a record. Tony had thrown out a lot of one night stands and some others had left very quickly after the sex, but this…

Only Apollo wasn’t leaving, but getting out his phone. “Yeah, hey. Can you come pick me up? I was still out. Can you just spare me the lecture and pick me up? Good.” Apollo repeated the address Tony had told the taxi driver and then hung up without goodbye or thank you. “My brother is going to pick up. Mind if I use your shower?”

Brother. The realisation that he had just slept with a minor hit Tony like punch in the guts and all he could do was nodding. Well, he had wanted to do something stupid, right? What the hell, Apollo had an amazing ass and Tony had had an amazing time fucking it. Also the kid was wonderfully uncomplicated. There was nothing more one could wish for.

Tony kept sitting on the bed the whole time Apollo was in the shower, enjoying the afterglow. When Apollo left the bathroom, he didn’t lose any time. Within half a second he was completely dressed and looked impeccable… and fucking young. “I’m going to wait for him downstairs. So, bye… and thanks. I had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, me too. Take care.”

It happened so quickly Tony could barely keep up with it. Apollo let himself out and Tony stretched out on the bed. How nice would it be to just close his eyes and… Should he really let the kid wait out on the street for his brother? It was how late? Three in the morning? Tony had no idea and sat back up again. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to check. From the window.

Tony turned out to have the perfect timing, because he saw a car pulling up to the sidewalk. Now that was a fast big brother. Apollo got into the car and it drove off. Good, one thing less to worry about. Now Tony had only to get into the shower, get dressed, call a taxi, get to his own place and…

Fuck it, he would stay here and Steve would for sure happily go through the trouble of waking him up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everything,
> 
> I hope you're having fun so far :) Tony is starting his new job and he meets a lot of new people... he doesn't like all of them

“Now that’s enough. Get your lazy ass out off bed.”

About a thousand needles attacked Tony’s brain at once, piercing right into it and he groaned in pain.

“Oh, come on!”

His eyes did hurt too. It was way too bright in this room. Which didn’t make any fucking sense, Tony always closed the blinds before going to bed. Thinking was only driving the needles deeper and fuck… he had paid a fortune for the scotch, he shouldn’t have such a headache.

“Get up or I’ll kick you out.”

The blanket was brutally ripped away from him and Tony let out an embarrassing shriek. So the real pain in the ass was Steve. No surprise. Yes, he was at Steve’s place. In Steve’s bed. Tony had fucked that gorgeous kid here.

“Tony!”

He should finally answer, Steve was bigger and stronger them him. And a fucking soldier. “Yeah, yeah… I’m awake and feeling like crap, so give me a minute.”

“I gave you five hours. I let you sleep in my bed and took the couch, because I didn’t want to drag your naked ass out of my bed. Now I’m doing it anyway. Get up, shower, you look awful. Painkillers and breakfast is waiting in the kitchen and you owe me. Big time.” Steve was in a so obviously bad mood that Tony didn’t even start to argue. Also his head was killing him. A nice, pulsing pain that only got stronger when he sat up. At least Steve was now content enough to leave the room.

Okay, slowly, step by step. Shower. Yes, a shower seemed like a good idea. Perhaps that would help him to feel a little bit awake. Or he could just stay in bed and sleep… and let Steve kill him. Sure.

Every single step on the way to the bathroom hurt and tried to count how much he had actually drunk last night. Couldn’t be that much…

Still feeling like death warmed up Tony dragged himself into the shower and did nothing else than lean against the tiled wall. Next thing on his ‘To Do List’, see the doctor and get his stupid head amputated. After just about two minutes Tony stepped back out, cursed all booze in the world and barely rubbed himself off with the next best towel. The next problem greeted him in the bedroom. His shorts were lying on the floor and Tony didn’t even want to think about bending over to pick it up. Somehow he managed it to grasp them with his toes and threw them on the bed. Putting them on still made his head throb like fuck.

Steve had said something about coffee, right?

“Wow, that shower didn’t help at all. You still look like the bottom of a whiskey bottle.” Steve looked at him with that expression of disdain, as if he had never seen Tony suffering from a hangover before. Hell, he had probably seen Tony more often drunk than sober.

“Hey, it’s not my fault they charge a few hundred bucks for cheap stuff that makes my head hurt.” Sinking down on a chair Tony held his head and despite his fucking attitude Steve turned out to be his salvation. “Here, painkillers and a little homemade drink. It’ll stop your head from exploding.”

“You’re awesome.” Tony swallowed two pills with half the glass and he managed that without throwing up. Success.

Sitting down next to him Steve sighed and that bastard was looking good. Well rested, healthy and disappointed. “So you owe me. Let’s start simple, why couldn’t you take whoever you were screwing to your place?”

Because I fucked a minor and I didn’t want him to know where I live or Howard to find out…

“Long story, too hung over to tell…”

“It’s today, isn’t it? You gotta show up and play nice little employee?”

“Yeah, please tell me I overslept and I don’t have to show up.”

“It’s 6:30… enough time to make you look presentable.”

“I don’t want to look presentable. I want to tell them to fuck themselves.”

Steve raised an eyebrow and then shook his head. “You gotta get through it, Tony. You got drunk, laid, now it’s time again to act like an adult.”

“I want to punch you when you’re right. Maybe if I show up drunk, they won’t expect me to show up sober. At all.” That would make the whole thing so much more bearable.

Unfortunately Steve had to be way too realistic again. “You think Howard is going to leave you alone? It’ll only get worse.”

Worse? Tony didn’t know how that’d be possible. “Can’t I just shoot myself? I get to sit in an office where I am completely wasted and I have to suck up to some douche who loves Howard. Two assholes who decide to take over the world and put all other companies out of business. Can we switch jobs?”

“Sure. I’ll get the penthouse and I will bring my one night stands here anyway.”

“Yeah, I got it. No more fucking on Steve’s bed. Never ever again. There will be no more action in this bedroom.”

“Very funny. You feel ready to keep some food down if I make you some breakfast? Some toast to suck up the liquor?” Patting his shoulder Steve gave him a smile. Typical, throwing him out off bed like a jerk and then back to being sweet. Tony answered with a tiny nod, didn’t hurt so bad, good. “You’re awesome. Toast would be great and I’ll drown myself in coffee.”

“That won’t help. You have a shit day ahead of you. Don’t make it worse by dying this early.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Steve took good care of him, after a few minutes Tony felt like a person again. Another reason to not go to work where they’d suck all life out of him. God, couldn’t he get drunk again? Like right now? “Steve, I don’t wanna go.”

“But you will. Sooner or later your father will realise that he’s wasting your talents and you’re not doing yourself any favour by rebelling against him. You’re 31 years old, that doesn’t suit you.”

“I can rebel all I want as long as I’m being treated like a teenager. I wanna live my own life. Is that too much to ask for? I don’t think so. Howard just can’t help himself, he enjoys being a dick, he wants to control me and he’s stupid enough to not let me work where I could do something great. Fuck, I could revolutionize the industry in a heartbeat, but I don’t get the chance to. Fuck him.” Tony should feel bad about whining, because Steve heard the same speech about three times a week. It was always the same. Well, Howard’s fault. Tony wouldn’t be frustrated if it wasn’t for him. Fuck that idiot.

There was no way to miss Steve’s wince. He shifted from one foot to another, biting his lower lip. Right, Steve hated it when Tony insulted his own father. Something about the 10 commandments… you should honour your parents or some shit. Moses hadn’t known Howard, so much about that. Or God. Whoever had written them. Tony didn’t know and didn’t care.

“You shouldn’t talk like that, Tony…”

“Yeah, yeah. Like I said, we should switch lives for a day and then we’ll see what you have to say. Or you should meet Howard. You’re going to love that…” Tony snorted and took the last sip from his coffee. A look at the clock told him that it was about time to get going. Damn, he wanted to be late. He wanted to…

“Here.” Tony hadn’t even noticed that Steve had been gone, but now he was back, placing a sports bag in his lap. Right, he had almost forgotten about that. This meant that Tony hadn’t crashed at Steve’s place lately. Bad sign. “Any chance I put a suit in there.”

Laughing softly Steve shrugged. “It wouldn’t be an emergency bag without a suit. Get dressed. Look smart. Try to make a good impression.”

So sweet. Steve really thought that Tony had a chance. As if Howard hadn’t already told Borrson to make Tony’s life a living hell. This new job was his punishment and if Tony played nice he maybe would get out of there… in a year. Too bad that Tony had no idea how to play nice. Grabbing the bag Tony got up and walked back into the bathroom. His head was still complaining, but it felt like a normal headache. The kind women complained about when they didn’t want to have sex.

Taking the suit out of the bag Tony was in for a surprise. A nice one, very expensive, he was indeed going to look good. As usual. Nevertheless Tony took his time, put on the suit, adjusted his tie and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair looked a like an abandoned bird nest, but he would take care of that.

Ten minutes later Tony left the bathroom again and there was Steve, watching him with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Now look at that. From the bottom of a whiskey bottle to a shining penny.”

“That’s a weird compliment, but I’ll take it.” Looking around Tony searched for his clothes still on the bedroom floor, but of course Steve had already placed them on the bed, nicely folded. His phone and wallet placed on top of it. Damn, he really owed Steve. “Listen… this day is going to suck. It will be terrible. We could try to save the last minutes of it. You want to hang out tonight? No, we don’t have to get drunk, I’ll buy you dinner. I owe you and it’d be nice to see a person I like after all this shit.”

There it was, Steve was pitying him and Tony hated that, but he wouldn’t say anything. “Sure. Just give me a call when you’re done. I’m in the mood for Italian, just mentioning.”

“Good, some pasta for Steve. Done. Can you shoot me now, so I don’t have to go?”

And the pity was gone, Steve only rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to tell you to man up. Get out and make the best out of it.”

So much easier said than done, but Tony wasn’t a coward, so he’d go there. And he’d hate every second of it.

After saying good bye to Steve and desperately hoping that there would be no come stains discovered, Tony left the apartment was lucky to immediately catch a Taxi. “Borrson Corporation Headquarters. Slowly. I’m not keen on getting there quickly.”

The driver just hummed and Tony let his head fall back. He should take a look at the whole situation again. Maybe he would think of a way to get out of Howard’s grip now. There had to be a way. A year working in an office without a lab, without working with his hands. He could still tell Howard to go fuck himself and start his own business in his garage. Others had done it before. But they hadn’t had a father with connections all over the world who could stop you from ever having the tiniest little bit of success. Tony hated his life.

The ride to his new working place was way too short and Tony closely watched the immense building when the taxi pulled up in front of it. Huge, lots of glass and Tony instantly didn’t like it. Sighing softly Tony gave the driver a nice tip before getting out and entering his new personal hell. More glass, a cute secretary sitting behind an immense desk. Borrson Corporation written in big, ugly letters. Cute secretary, focus on that. “Hi there, I may be a little bit early, but…”

“Mr. Stark. We’ve already been expecting you.” The loveliest smile and Tony instantly wanted to throw up again. We’ve already been expecting you was the code for ‘You’re late, asshole’.

“Cool, uhm… it’s my first day, so where do I go?”

“Mr. Stark, may I escort you to Mr. Borrson’s office?”

Now where did that guy come from? Did he just grow from the floor right behind Tony? Another reason to not like this place. They already had their spies set on him. Great way to start the day. “Sure. Yeah. Let’s go…”

It clearly felt like walking down the Green Mile. Still Tony followed the minion to the elevators. “The executive suite is on the top floors. Your office will be situated at the 33rd floor. I will show it to you after your appointment with Mr. Borrson.”

High floor, good. When Tony was going to jump out the window that would definitely kill him. That was the perfect attitude to start the day. “Can the windows be opened?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The windows of my office. Can they be opened? You know if I see some guy walking by that I don’t like… and happen to want to drop something on his head.”

Not even the hint of a smile. The working climate here must be wonderful. Tony felt slightly sick when the elevator started moving and his hand went up to his tie to loose the knot the tiniest bit. He was beginning to feel seriously sick and the first person here already hated him.

When the doors opened the minion went straight ahead and Tony followed him. Who was the mindless slave here? Anybody else would have been impressed by the décor, the expensive furniture, the whole interior drenched in this ‘I’m so much better than you’ style. Unfortunately Tony had grown up in such an environment, only worse. Way worse. Stark or Borrson, all the same. Business moguls who burned anything they touched and Tony was a disappointment, because he refused to be like that.

The immense doors were already open, revealing an even bigger office. Just like Tony had expected. A lot of space for a single person who didn’t need any of it. A nice, sturdy desk, probably made out of ebony. Beautiful but completely unnecessary. Unless you were fucking on it.

“Mr. Stark.”

Unfortunately it would be Tony who was getting fucked.

Time to close his eyes and to think of England.

Borrson was standing right in front of him, staring him right into the eyes. So they were at least of the same height, not that Tony would ever admit to having a complex because of being so fucking small. “A pleasure to see you and to welcome you here at Borrson Corporation.”

Yeah, Tony was glad to be here and he would hang himself in about five minutes…

Plastering his fakest smile on his face Tony took the hand that was offered to him. “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Borrson. Great service you have here. I only had one foot in the building when my new friend here already grabbed me and dragged me upstairs.”

The old man’s face didn’t give anything away, but that wasn’t necessary, Tony could tell that he hated him. Somebody who worked this closely with Howard was bound to detest him. Well, feeling was mutual. Those eyes gave really nothing away, they reminded Tony of Howard. Hard, unforgiving, just blue instead of brown. Even Tony could admit that this guy was looking good for his age and he was older than Howard. Most probably in his sixties. Probably another senile idiot who didn’t want to give someone younger a shot, who despised new, innovative ideas.

“We choose our employees with great care. Just like Stark Industries. Your father is a brilliant man. He told me a lot about your different abilities.”

That was the code for ‘I know you’re a useless idiot who likes to sleep around and to drink and you’re just here, because your father wants to fuck with you’. Tony gritted his teeth and then decided to be a good boy once, to listen to Steve. He didn’t have to make everything worse the very first day. “I hope he only told you the best.”

“I guess we will have to wait and see.” Fuck Tony’s life. “Why don’t we sit down and talk about your new position here.”

Sitting sounded like a good idea. “Gladly.”

So Tony sat down while Borrson walked over the one these huge windows and… a private bar. Oh god. “Would you like a drink, Mr. Stark?”

That was a fucking test. He wanted to know if Tony was able to resist the first opportunity to get hammered. Good thing he got drunk last night, just the thought of a glass made Tony feel sick. “No, thanks. It’s still early.”

“But we have reason to celebrate. Then again, you’re right. A glass of water?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Tony got his glass of water and Borrson took a seat, back to staring at Tony and making him feel uncomfortable. “Well, since your father is a dear friend of mine and you are going to fill an important position, I suppose we shouldn’t insist on unnecessary formalities. I am Odin.”

Definitely sounded stupid, but Tony knew Borrson was Icelandic, but still stupid. For some reason it reminded Tony of something. He didn’t know what and he didn’t have the time to wreck his brains. “Hi, I’m Tony. Not quite as fancy, but I guess we have to blame that on my father. He thought it sounded strong and masculine.” Wow, Tony was surprised that he had made it this far without talking shit about Howard. Quite impressive.

“Hardly any child is fond of the name their parents chose for them. My boys have been complaining for years about theirs.”

“Yeah, kids…” Tony rolled his eyes. “Ungrateful and not content with anything. Another reason why I don’t have any. Not that I know of.” A sensible person would have shut up by now, but Tony had been stupid enough to come here in the first place.

Those blue eyes continued to observe him carefully and maybe Tony should have taken that drink. It would make the obvious disdain more bearable. “Let’s talk about your new position then…”

It was exactly like Tony had expected, nothing new. A death sentence. Sitting around in an office all day, deprived of creativity and fun. Perhaps Tony should call it all quits and start working as a regular mechanic. At least he’d be able to do something with his hands, right? Something else than chocking his father. Seconds turned into minutes and all Tony did was nodding and thinking about how good he’d feel as soon as he was out of here. Although he had had to come back tomorrow. And the day after that.

“Shall we check out your office?”

Yes, no, whatever. “Sure, that’d be… great.”

Tony was surprised to find out that his office was only one floor beneath Borrson’s. Something he didn’t really care for, but the next surprise turned out to not be pleasant at all. The office was big, spacious, luxury with an adjoining private bathroom and Tony didn’t hate it. He hated the person waiting for him there. His whole body tensed when he spotted him, sitting right there in the chair that was supposed to be Tony’s. Already mocking him.

“I’m sorry, I am a bit late.”

Tony’s hand formed a fist completely on its own and no, Steve was right. He shouldn’t let this get to him. Howard was only here to humiliate him, to push his buttons and to see him lose it. No way he wasn’t gong to give him the satisfaction. Not today.

“Howard, so glad you could make it. I know you’re very busy.” So Borrson immediately walked up to Howard, leaving Tony standing there like an idiot. They were shaking hands and Howard smiled at the other tycoon, showing more affection that Tony had ever received as a kid. When they were done kissing each other’s asses, Howard turned to Tony and he had to play it cool. Don’t show him. Don’t make him feel good about himself. “So, Tony, do you like your new office? Odin, I’m quite impressed, it’s bigger than the one he had at Stark Industries.”

“Not very difficult since Harry Potter’s room beneath the staircase was bigger than my office.”

Not his best remark and Howard’s reaction wasn’t satisfying at all. Just that stoic glance, not more disappointment than usual. “Really, Tony? A reference to a children’s book?”

Yeah, fuck you too.

“It’s not just the office. You said that Tony wouldn’t bring his assistant from Stark Industries. I’m sure your new one will be to your entire satisfaction. Natasha is one of our best employees.” Borrson used the intercom on Tony’s desk. “Miss Romanoff, would you please join us in Mr. Stark’s office?”

Oh great, now the poor girl who was supposed to spy on him. Just waiting for him to fuck up and then to tell everything to Borrson and Howard.

Only seconds later the spy was walking through the door and Tony’s day became the slightest bit better. If he was going to be stuck here at least he would be having something quite beautiful to look at. Stunning, actually. Tony had never seen hair as dark red before and for some reason he was sure that it wasn’t a dye job. Natasha didn’t only have good looks, but a load of charisma. The kind of person that immediately captured the attention of an entire room. She had rough edges, that much was clear. Maybe one interesting thing about his new job, but she was working for Borrson, so she’d probably also try to fuck him over.

“This is Natasha Romanoff. She’s been working for our company for several years now, she only has the best credentials.”

“Mr. Stark, I’m looking forward to work with you. It’s an honour.” The smile on her lips was gorgeous, but Tony was good at reading faces and it was obvious that he should be careful around her. No way she was to going to take any of his shit. Wouldn’t stop him from having some fun though.

“Nice to meet you. Romanoff? Russian?”

“Indeed, sir.”

“I’m sure we’re going to get along great. We share a mutual love for vodka.” There, now he was talking about alcohol, Steve would be smashing his head against the wall right now, but Tony didn’t give a damn. Natasha just arched an eyebrow, but no other reaction. Great, somebody without a sense of humour.

“I guess it’s about time to show Tony the department he will be in charge of.”

“Excellent idea. Tony and I will join you in a second.” Howard smiled and Tony was tempted to snore. Borrson didn’t mind, just left the room with Natasha and Tony braced himself for a lecture. How ridiculous was that…

Howard walked up to him, his eyes travelling Tony up and down, probably trying to figure out which part of him disappointed him the most. “You know I should grateful that you didn’t show up drunk, but really? It had to be your cheapest suit? You don’t look like a Stark.” Nonchalantly Howard reached up, adjusting the knot of Tony’s tie. “There. Now, come and act like an adult.”

There was no time to give a witty remark, Howard just turned around and left Tony standing there in his big, new, cold office. Howard was right, Tony should have showed up drunk.

 ***

It took a lot of Steve’s meanest face and sweetest words to stop Tony from ranting about his father and calling him names. Then Tony only stopped, because he couldn’t think of any more curse words and he didn’t want Steve to walk out on him. Although maybe that would have been better, because Steve had stopped him from getting drunk and now it was the next morning and Tony showed up to his new job perfectly sober.

A mistake. Natasha handed him a pile of files that needed to be read and signed. Tony’s life for the next… what? Years? A nightmare.

So Tony was sitting behind his desk and imagined what was going on only a few levels beneath his office. Research facilities, hundreds of possibilities to do real work, to create something, to be a scientist, an engineer and not some stupid idiot in a suit that sat on his ass all day. Borrson had shown the facilities to him just yesterday. Probably a direct order from Howard. Show the stupid kid what he would love to do, but what he can’t do, because I don’t want him to.

Grumbling Tony put his feet on the desk and read through another report. At the end of the first page he realised that he hadn’t got a single word and started all over again. God, this was his first day, Tony was going to die here.

After hours of doing nothing and praying to god that Howard was having a very bad day Tony could finally think of something else. The phone on his desk started ringing. “Natasha, what can I do for you today?”

“Mr. Stark, Mr. Borrson just called. He wishes to go to lunch with you. He awaits you in front of his office in five minutes.”

Wonderful, lunch with his boss who hated his guts. As if his day couldn’t become any better. “Thanks, Natasha.”

“I would prefer it if you called me Miss Romanoff, sir.”

“Cool, I’m all into roleplay.”

That could be considered sexual harassment, right? The only way to find out if Natasha was cool or not.

Sighing in defeat Tony got up and readied himself for the next fucking annoying part of this day. He really needed to find a way to keep him busy at work. With the limited possibilities in this office. Anyway, fucking lunch.

Again the door to Borrson’s office was open and still Tony almost bumped against the huge blonde bloke who was… Holy shit! Well, thanks to Steve Tony was used to big, blonde guys who seemed to be made of muscle, but this one still made his jaw drop slightly. He also made Tony think that he desperately needed to work out.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you. Which sounds ridiculous now that I hear it, because you are quite… tall! Look at that arm, it’s bigger than my head.”

Rambo did have a sense of humour, he chuckled in amusement. “Football in college and thank you, I guess that was a compliment.”

Tony was about to answer that hell yeah, it had been a compliment, when Borrson showed up and ruined the party. “Tony, so you’ve already met my son. Thor, meet Tony Stark.”

Thor? That had to be a fucking joke. Odin and Thor? Seriously?

To make things even worse, Thor had one of these smiles. Perfect for a toothpaste commercial and you instantly started to like him. Guys who looked like that ruled the High School and whatever tiny, dumb job they had, you put them on a poster to have them be the face of your company. Hell, Tony had never complained once about his own looks and he wasn’t going to start now, but that guy had clearly won the genetic lottery. Then again, when he was looking at Borrson… Thor’s mother had to be attractive.

“Pleasure to meet you. I hope you don’t mind if I join you and father for lunch.” Again that smile, it started to piss Tony off. “No, it’s cool. You guys know a good sushi bar?”

Tony didn’t miss the displeased expression that ghosted over Borrson’s face. What was wrong with sushi? It was even fancy enough for Howard. “We would like to introduce you to a formidable new restaurant just around the corner. The chef is a friend.”

Whatever, hopefully the food was good.

The second they entered the restaurant Tony made a mental note to call Steve and to tell him to come over tonight. And to bring burgers. Lots of them. God, how he despised these places. Some pretentious assholes who had decided that they were too good to simply grill a piece of meat or cook some delicious noodles. Now they produced some shit that didn’t even look like food. If Tony ever got president he would definitely ban all forms of molecular gastronomy. Tony didn’t get a single word from whatever the menu was trying to tell him. Fuck this shit, he would just take number 23.

Borrson and the blonde quarterback seemed way more experienced with this stuff, of course. Better start a conversation about anything else but food. “So Thor, what made you exchange the football against some nice suit?”

“Oh, football was just a hobby. The company is a family business, so it has always been clear that I’ll be part of it too.”

Yeah, family business. Tony knew a lot about family business. It sucked. “Cool and what are you doing now?”

“Thor’s working in the distribution department. He’s always had a talent for these sorts of things.” Borrson didn’t say it out loud, but he didn’t need to, Tony knew these speeches by heart and he definitely knew which kind of person he was dealing with. Some day, perhaps the day Thor had been born, Borrson had decided what his son would be doing with his life. Maybe that had even turned out well for Thor, but it hadn’t for Tony. His eyes darted to Thor, wanting to see his reaction to this statement. Still that same smile and Tony couldn’t see anything fake about it. So it had turned out fine for him or he was convinced that Daddy did know best.

Or daddy had made sure that nobody disagreed with him a long time ago…

“Cool, I’d be a terrible sales person. I talk way too much… and forget what I wanted to say to begin with…” Tony shrugged and took a sip from his wine.

“It’s not like I’m doing the actual…”

“Your father told me that you lived in Europe for a while?” Borrson’s blue eyes burned directly into Tony and if he hadn’t been used to that glare all his life, he would have flinched.

Were Howard and Borrson talking about anything else than Tony? Well, maybe also about Thor. Two tycoons who were comparing their kids and which was the bigger disappointment. Or the only disappointment.

“Yeah, I did. Years ago. After graduating I wanted to get away a little bit, see the world. I backbagged through half of Europe. Started in Portugal, last stop in Greece. It was amazing, I made a lot of friends and lived in France and in Switzerland for a couple of months. I can only recommend that experience.” It had been indeed a wonderful year, Tony remembered only half of it though. He had caught up on all the fun he had missed during his time at the MIT. Howard had threatened several times to cut him out of his will. Good times, when Tony had only been 19 years old and hadn’t given a shit about anything. Now he was still paying for it.

“Thor also spent two years in Europe. To study.”

Tony didn’t miss the undertone and he felt how his fingers formed a fist. Comments like this made his skin crawl. Yeah, he had partied and travelled the world when he had been young. Like most people did. For once he had tried to flee Howard’s shadow and nobody would look down at him for that. What did that old man know? Perhaps he had made a nice lapdog out of his son, but Howard hadn’t. At least Tony wanted to think so. For now he remained silent. A pity, he would like to tell Borrson that he had learned a lot too. About different cultures. Did you know that Spaniards wear red underwear during New Year’s Eve? To ensure that the new year would be blessed with a satisfying sex life. Tony was the living proof that it worked, he had had his first threesome that year. Bad time to think about that now…

“My youngest one also just returned from boarding school in London. He’s been there for the last four years.”

Poor kid, being that far away from his entire family. Or maybe that wasn’t so bad after all. “How many kids do you have?”

Thor was quick to reply, still smiling. “It’s just me and Loki.”

Loki… Sweet Lord…

Odin, Thor and Loki. Way to ruin your kid’s life the second it was born.

 ***

Tony needed pizza. Instantly. And booze. Red wine. Italian. Along with the pizza. AC/DC and he needed to call Steve… No, talking to Steve first and then AC/DC, that makes more sense.”

Tony pretty much tore the jacket of his suit off, throwing in to the floor. After kicking his shoes off Tony settled on the couch and got out his phone. “Tony?”

“Hey, I’m back home. This day sucked even more than I’ve thought. Why aren’t you already here?”

“Jesus, just give me 10 more minutes.”

10 more minutes turned into 20, but then Steve finally waltzed in and Tony could complain. Steve was willing to listen a lot as long as there was beer and pizza. Every now and then he nodded, sighed and cleared his throat when Tony said ‘Fuck’ too many times. “… and his son! You should have seen this guy! A fucking Disney prince. Big, blonde, muscled… simply gotta hate that guy.”

“Hey!” Steve nearly dropped his slice of pizza and kicked Tony right into his shin. “Ouch! What the fuck!?”

“What’s wrong with big, blonde and muscled?”

“Oh come on, people who are present are of course excluded.” Tony took a large sip from his beer and sighed. He was slightly feeling better, complaining and letting out his frustration did help, but it was no solution. “It’s not about the looks anyway… He’s daddy’s little boy. The kind I’ve always refused to be. I could throw up only thinking about that. Doing the job dad chose for me, going to lunch with him and being the nice little project he planned me to be…”

“Well…” Steve did that thing, this look of sympathy mixed with criticism. “You’re at war with your father and you don’t feel any better about yourself… and you don’t have the job you want to have and you… let’s be honest, you’re permanently pissed off and you’re not making things easier for yourself.”

What would Tony do without Steve in his life? His knight in shining armour on his constant quest for peace and harmony. “No, I don’t, because I still have some of my dignity left. I’m not going to humiliate myself by licking Howard’s boots like Thor does…”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “Thor? Seriously?”

“I know, right! It’s ridiculous. His brother’s name is Loki…”

Naturally Steve screwed his face up. “Now that’s just cruel.”

“Yeah, makes sure you get to be the punching bag in school.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Thor is the most important god of Norse Mythology. Most powerful and half of Scandinavian cities are named after him. Loki is a… I’m not an expert, but I think he wasn’t even worshipped. If you name your kids after Norse gods I think you know about that kind of stuff and that makes it pretty weird.” Steve shrugged and Tony uttered a silent laugh. “Turns out I gotta thank Howard for at least giving me a decent name… Oh fuck this, I’m so sick of all of this. Let’s talk about something else. What about that guy you’re dating? Were dating? See, I don’t know anything. Tell me something.

“I’m not dating anybody. Thanks for knowing by the way….”

“Hey, I’m asking now. I know I tend to be a self-centred asshole, but now it’s Steve time. There you go, tell me. You meet more guys in one day than I do in a whole year.”

“I’m a drill instructor, Tony. I’ve told you one hundred times that I’m not supposed to date the recruits…” As always Steve seemed to be slightly embarrassed when this subject was addressed. Honestly Tony often just brought it up to mess with him.

Taking a bite of his pizza slice Tony didn’t bother to stop chewing before he started talking again. “I know, I know, I’m just having fun. Seriously now… anybody in sight?”

The blush on Steve’s cheek faded away and he shrugged, but Tony didn’t miss the hint of a smile on his lips. “There might be a cute guy, but before you get all excited… I haven’t even talked to him yet. He’s just a guy and he’s cute. End of story. What about you?”

Tony? Dating? Ridiculous thought, although Steve would love him to get a boy- or girlfriend. “Hell no. I hate my job, so I love coming home to be free to do whatever I want. I still get laid regularly and I don’t have somebody else who’s making my life miserable.”

“Your attitude is horrible.”

“So what? I have the perfect plan.”

“That would be?”

“When I’m forty and if I’m fed up with being single I will marry you. That’ll piss off Howard endlessly.”

Steve buried his face in his hands and shook his head.

 ***

A month into his new job Tony still loathed about 80% of it, but he couldn’t deny an obvious improvement. Those 20 percent had turned out to be Natasha and Bruce. About after a week Natasha had decided that Tony was neither racist nor sexist but an average idiot and she could deal with that. That was amazing, because this woman had a wicked sense of humour and Tony was pretty sure that it was really her who ruled this place. Because she knew absolutely everything about everyone and not just the usual gossip. Tony got to know this when he first invited her to lunch. It was a nice way to avoid Borrson, Tony wanted to make friends with his spy assistant and moreover he liked being seen with a gorgeous woman.

When Natasha proposed to go to a simple Italian place Tony’s mood lightened up. Some real food, thank God. Only when they got there Tony realised that she was testing him. The restaurant was close to the company and a lot of the employees went to eat there. Lots? Pretty much every single one of them. Natasha’s eyes didn’t leave him for a second and it dawned Tony that she wanted to see if that made him uneasy. If he was the kind of person who couldn’t visit the same place as people who were… beneath him. That was outrageously funny. Tony greeted the very few he recognized and asked a random person what they were eating, because it looked amazing.

“Place must be awesome if everyone comes here. Any recommendations?” Tony opened his menu, smiling softly. He always felt relieved when he left the office and he was going to take advantage of it.

“They make an excellent Penne Carbonara, but you can’t go wrong with the pizzas either.”

“Thank god, decent food.” Tony sighed happily and decided to go with a seafood pizza. He was delighted when the waitress showed up and Natasha ordered some pasta and not some salad. Which meant that she probably spent all her freetime in the gym. Better not start the conversation with that, women hated to talk about food when you didn’t know them yet. “So how long have you been working for Borrson Corp?”

“8 years. 3 of them I’ve been Thor’s personal assistant.”

“Ha. From the big boss’ son to me? What do you do to get downgraded?”

In response she smiled at him. Not warmly, but challenging. Okay, Tony could deal with that. “Actually it was a promotion.”

Right, for sure. “Am I that important?”

“Depends.”

“Do you enjoy your job so far?”

“Sometimes.”

“Did you run out of words? I’m trying to get to know you. Feel free to answer with more than a single word. You can ask me anything you want and I won’t shut up.”

Again that smile. “I doubt that you can tell me something about you that I don’t already know, Mr. Stark.”

The corners of Tony’s mouth twitched. So she was playing with open cards, Tony liked that and if his intuition hadn’t left him completely she did like him a little bit. Natasha was a professional, there was no doubt about it. She had clearly figured out by now that he knew what her main task was. Chances were good that she was trying to find out if she could turn that into an advantage for her. “First of all, it’s Tony. You should definitely know that. However if you don’t want to ask me stuff and you don’t talk about yourself… I guess I’ll be talking a little bit about you….” Leaning back Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest and let his eyes run over her. “Okay, so you’ve graduated at the top of your class. You’re ridiculously overqualified for this job and you get way more paid than anybody else doing the same job. All you gotta do for that is dig up some dirt. Borrson just wants to know every little fuck-up, so he can tell my dad about it, so he can add it to the list of reasons why he’ll disinherit me. Now am I right or am I right?”

Natasha didn’t bat an eyelid, just slightly tilted her head. “Absolutely right. I was also told I wouldn’t be the first to do this and that you would be naturally distrustful.”

Rolling his eyes Tony snorted. “Seriously? It’s not like I’m having secrets. I’m telling everything everyone who asks, but Howard Stark never asks. Any special interests? You’re going to note how many glasses of wine I’m going to drink? I can already tell you, a fucking lot of them.”

Tony felt an immense satisfaction when she started to smile, genuinely amused. “No, he’s rather interested in the people you spend your time with. Girls. This kind of stuff.”

No way she was telling him everything, but that didn’t matter. This woman wasn’t stupid, she didn’t know Tony that well, but she clearly liked him more than her boss. Of course, Howard wanted to know who Tony was fucking. God forbid he’d meet some golddigger.

“So what information did you send to the headquarters till now?”

“That you seem generally sexually frustrated.”

“Oh, now you’re just hitting on me!”

“My boyfriend wouldn’t like that.”

“Ha! There, you gave up some information now. We’re so going to be best friends.”

Her smile turned into a grin. “We could be best friends if you deliver me something I can tell the big boss that makes me look good.”

Raising his glass Tony insisted on a toast. “Natasha, I’m definitely starting to like you. So we talked about me. We talked about you. Anything about Borrson that I should know? I’m sure you got the dirt on everybody, darling.”

“First of all, do not ever call me darling again. Borrson. That’s pretty simple. He’s a jerk. In every part of his life. The employees hate him, you’ve noticed that by now. Well, except for Thor. He probably already got indoctrinated when he was in his cradle.”

Not everybody could be as resistant as Tony… and being stuck with a job that he hated. Well, at least he had a hot personal assistant who was also a secret spy. Could be worse.

“Yeah, that’s quite obvious… So you wanted me to tell you some shit you can report to the big guy… I’m going to hang out with my best friend tonight. Don’t give me that look. Borrson is going to talk to my dad and he’s going up walls if Steve only is mentioned.”

Natasha quirked one of her perfect eyebrows. “Why?”

“Oh, something you don’t know? Because he’s gay. My dad has never even met him, but he’s afraid that the gayness might rub off.” Tony smirked, because it was just as funny as it was outrageous. The sweet irony was obvious, Howard would love Steve if he took only one second to talk to him.

While taking a sip from her wine Natasha’s eyes never left him, incredibly perceptive. “Did it rub off?” As if she didn’t already know…

“Of course. It rubbed off so well I’ve already been screwing guys before I even met Steve.”

“And what does hanging out imply?”

“Don’t know yet. Probably getting drunk at my place. Feel free to add some details to the story or to spice it up…”

Now she let out an honestly amused laugh and Tony decided that things were getting better. Finally.

Lunch was fine, Natasha did open up a little bit, but she was still shrouded in mystery. Made her interesting and Tony didn’t mind that she was careful around him. He could be screwing her over after all. “You know we should do this more often. Best lunch I’ve had in a while.”

“I’m counting on it. I need to gather some information somehow.”

Yap, he liked that girl.

Back in his office Tony tried to be a busy little bee and it took two hours before he started to curse every single printed letter on these white sheets in front of him. Maybe he could set them on fire and accidentally burn the whole place down. Now that was a good idea.

Natasha must have sensed that he was about to do something very stupid. Anyway she called him to tell him that Borrson wanted to see him. Instantly.

Great… always trying to lighten up his day.

For once the huge doors to Borrson’s office were closed and his secretary gave Tony a sour look. Damn, Tony was so glad he had Natasha and not this one. “Hey, Odin wants to see me.”

The corners of her lips dropped even more and she didn’t hide the tiniest bit of her disdain. “Mr. Borrson will see you in a moment.”

Cool, first wanting to see him instantly and then letting him wait. Tony hated it when they were trying to show him who was the boss. Fine, Tony would wait. The secretary narrowed her eyes at him when Tony dared to pull his phone out. What? He could play Angry Birds all he wanted if they let him stand here.

It took five fucking minutes until she opened the door for him and his majesty would see him. “Tony, take a seat. I want to talk with you about these numbers…”

Where was a gun, so Tony could shoot himself?

In a discussion with Borrson time didn’t exist, seconds, minutes, hours, all the same. It was endless and Tony thought it couldn’t…

“Are you fucking kidding me!? A private teacher!”

Tony span around when the loud shouting drowned out Borrson’s voice. Now that was a hell of an entry. Turning around Tony first spotted that stupid secretary who looked strangely flustered. “I am sorry, Mr. Borrson. Your son would not wait. I told him that he could not…”

“I have to come to New York to sit at home all day!?”

Automatically Tony’s eyes darted from the old lady to the person who was responsible for all this shouting and his whole body tensed up. No. His mouth went drew and Tony felt his stomach clenching. There was no way he could be wrong and that realisation made Tony’s head swim. This feeling of uneasiness got worse with any second and Tony squeezed his eyes shut for a second to cast the impending vertigo away.

Nothing changed. Right there in Borrson’s office. Dressed in blue jeans, a white T-shirt, a black blazer. Long black hair, fierce green eyes and he was furious.

Your son. She had said ‘your son’.

Tony was a dead man.

“Loki!” Tony flinched, instantly turned his head back around and it didn’t matter how unimpressed he usually was with Borrson, now he was scaring him. A face as hard as stone and Tony was glad that he wasn’t the one who these eyes were piercing through. “You are aware that this is my office. I am doing business here and you don’t just burst in here. You wait outside. Or even better at home, where you should be. Now out!”

There was no way to misinterpret this message and Tony swallowed heavily.

Loki... wasn’t intimidated, still this wild expression on his face. “I’m not going to leave, I want…”

“Out of my office! I will deal with you later on. Stop embarrassing me.” The last words were hissed and green eyes met Tony’s. Just a mere second and there was this moment of recognition.

Tony was a goner.

Borrson’s son, Loki, released a long breath, then turned around and stomped out of the room. Tony was feeling sick.

“I must apologize. Such behaviour is unacceptable.”

“So this was… Thor’s younger brother?”

Sighing loudly Borrson nodded. “Yes, Loki is my youngest. One should be able to expect some civilised behaviour from a 15 year-old.”

15…

Tony wasn’t going to die after all. No, he was going straight to prison and if there was one thing that prison inmates loved, it was guys who slept with kids. Fucking 15 years old! No 15 year-old in the world acted like that!

That horrible dizziness threatened to overwhelm him and since Tony was already sitting, he felt like he needed to lie down immediately.

The kid… Loki… he had seen Tony. His eyes had directly looked at him and there was no way he hadn’t recognized him. A 15 year-old would definitely remember the thirty something year old that he had slept with about a month ago. If he only mentioned a single syllable to Borrson Tony would be a goner.

Howard was sick of putting up with Tony’s shit anyway and fucking a minor would be the last straw.

His stomach was clenching and unclenching, Tony had the taste of bile in the back of his mouth and he needed some vodka.

“Are you alright, Tony? You seem a little… pale.”

Looking up Tony’s gaze met Borrson’s and it was cold. Did he know? If he knew… No, Tony, get your shit together. They would have busted your ass instantly.

But Loki had seen him.

“I’m okay… I think…”

 He was going to die.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Now that Tony knows who he spent the night with - it's time to panic and to tell Steve, he'll know what to do :)

“Calm the fuck down! I don’t get a word you’re saying! Speak slowly and stop drinking! What is going on?”

Steve was more annoyed by him than actually worried and Tony could understand that. Or he would have understood it, if he hadn’t been busy having a nervous breakdown. Rightly so, but still embarrassing. Not that he cared. Steve could go fuck himself if he thought that Tony would put that bottle away for a single second. Before Steve had shown up Tony had still bothered to pour glasses, now he had settled for the bottle.

“Please, Tony. Sit down. I’m getting dizzy.”

Tony couldn’t sit down, he would go crazy. So he continued to pace around the room, trying to calm his nerves down with another gulp of vodka. Nothing helped. Hell, it had only been a question of time till Tony fucked up so badly that it would have dire consequences, but he had always thought that he would crash his car and die. Not something like this.

“You’re starting to scare me, Tony. What’s going on?” Steve looked at him in confusion and a bit lost and Tony wished he would feel like that.

Time to get it out. A man as responsible and moral as Steve would give him tons of shit because of this, but Steve was also his friend and Tony needed to talk about it. He was good with tech, with computers, but Steve was better with people. With normal things, he would know what to do and if he didn’t, at least Tony would have someone to talk to.

Bringing the bottle back up to his mouth Tony took another big gulp to help him pluck up the rest of his courage. “I did something stupid.”

In response Steve huffed. “Oh really? I would have never guessed that. Tony, you do something stupid all the time. What happened? Did you tell Howard that you’re out? Okay, that’s going to be tough, but I’ll help you and you’re smart. You’ll find…”

“It has nothing to do with Howard…” Not yet. Taking another sip Tony told himself over and over to calm down.

Bless Steve and his incredible patience. “It has nothing to do with Howard. So what did you do?”

Finally Tony stopped pacing around and stared at the ceiling. Steve would look at him with reproachful eyes for the next months and Tony wasn’t keen on seeing him doing that just now. “I did something stupid and… slightly illegal.”

There was an audible hesitation. “Okay… What are we talking about here? Gambling?”      

Oh, Tony wished it would be as simple as that. By now Tony was feeling a little buzz from the vodka and his senses were slightly dulled down. Good. Maybe he could talk about it like that.

“I may have… I… Damn…” With his free hand Tony rubbed over his face, but nothing helped to get the words out easier. “I fucked a minor.”

There was no need to see Steve’s face. Tony knew exactly what his reaction would be like. Disbelief that quickly faded away, replaced by disappointment and anger, because Tony was being so stupid.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Steve…”

“No, I get to go first. Are you out of your mind?!” Steve wasn’t yelling, not quite and Tony knew that he couldn’t avoid his gaze forever. Just like he had expected. His best friend looked ready to smash his head against the wall.

“No! Maybe! Hell… I don’t know! I didn’t…” Right, Tony hadn’t cared. He had been so angry and fed up with the way his life had been playing out that he had wanted to do the most irresponsible thing possible. Well, he had succeeded. “I didn’t ask him how old he was.”

Tony had been wrong. Telling Steve didn’t make him feel better. Quite the opposite. Seeing Steve hiding his face behind his hands and shaking his head only made him realise that he was the worst kind of idiot imaginable. Or maybe it was Steve. Steve who had put more faith in Tony than anybody else had ever done. “Damn it, Tony… Minors usually look quite young! What the hell were thinking!?”

“I wasn’t thinking! He was hot! And he was acting like he had been around quite a lot! I had no idea… Okay, I knew he was young, but I thought… maybe 18…”

Now Steve was rolling his eyes. “Fuck off, Tony. You just didn’t care.”

When Steve was swearing, you were in trouble. “Okay, perhaps I didn’t care. I was angry, I wanted to get laid and the kid was beautiful.”

Steve took a deep breath and made a gesture that was probably supposed to calm him down. “Fine, damage control. Minor doesn’t equal minor… do you have any idea how old he really was? You said you didn’t ask, but now you’re freaking out. How old?”

Through clenched teeth Tony uttered a single word. By now his least favourite word in the world. “15…”

“Oh, you stupid idiot!”

“I’m sorry!”

“The age of consent in this state is 17!”

“I know and that’s a stupid law! There wasn’t anything virginal about this kid!”

Bad thing to say, now Steve was getting up from the couch and Tony instinctively made a step back. Obviously Steve sometimes forgot that he was a very imposing figure and now he instantly stopped. “Sorry… that’s just… by far the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Okay… okay… 15. 15 is not good. 15 is a felony. You’re far over 18 years old… Listen… I’m not a lawyer nor an expert, but a few years ago… we’ve had trouble because of similar affair. A recruit didn’t know what was good for him… You’re not a fucking teacher, you don’t go to prison because of 15… The worst thing that can happen is three years on probation, but… you’ll be on a list. For sleeping with a minor.”

Sexual offender wasn’t a term that Tony wanted to put on his resume. Yet that wasn’t his major concern. What had his life come to? “That’s not all…”

“Not… Damn, give me that bottle.” Steve grabbed it and took a big swallow. “Thrill me…”

“The whole thing happened over a month ago…”

“A month…” Steve’s jaw dropped and his eyes shot daggers at Tony. “You needed my place to fuck a minor?!”

Oh, damn… “Yeah, but that isn’t the thing…”

“Good lord, what else?”

Tony took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. “I didn’t ask for his name and today… I found out that he… He’s Borrson’s son.”

At first Steve only blinked at him and then he slumped back down on the couch. “You really know how to screw things up, huh?”

Maybe it was desperation, but Steve looked so comically frustrated that Tony heard a soft laughter escaping a throat.

“That’s not funny.”

“I know it’s not funny. That’s why I’m laughing.”

An awkward silence spread between them and they shared the vodka bottle for some minutes. Only then Steve spoke up again, his voice was sounding hoarse and soft at the same time. “Does he know? Borrson.”

Slowly Tony shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I know so… Loki… his son saw me in his office. I have no idea what he’s going to do. Probably he doesn’t want his dad to know that he’s hanging around in bars and gets picked up by older guys. Or his dad does know, because the whole family is completely fucked up and… No way. His dad is a control freak just like Howard and Loki made the impression of a child that was acting out… I don’t think he’s going to tell…”

“Good, that’s good. Just promise me that you’ll check the ID of every person you’re going to sleep with… Damn it… stay away from this kid. Best thing that could happen would be that he forgets your face. Fuck… Why? I know you. You give a shit about what other people think, but you’re too smart to fuck a minor. Just because the kid happens to have a pretty face.”

Pretty face. The kid was dropdead gorgeous and Tony had always been bad at denying himself the things he wanted. There was no excuse for wanting to fuck a fifteen year-old, but Tony felt okay with that, because it hadn’t been Loki’s age that had turned him on. “It was the night before I had to start the new job and I was so frustrated. I wanted to get rid of that frustration and when he showed up. Steve, I know I’m an idiot, but I wanted to do something that would cause Howard to have a stroke.”

“Tony… You can’t do this type of stuff. You complain about Howard having too much influence on your life and then… Your personal life is your own business. He can’t tell you who to hang out with or who to sleep with. Your giving him way too much by power by acting this way. You don’t have to fuck a minor, because it would make your dad angry. It only gets you into trouble and you didn’t want him to know about it anyway. Be an adult, you don’t your life to be about your dad, then don’t make him a factor in your decision making.”

“God, I hate it when you’re right…” Tony collapsed on the couch next to Steve and snatched the bottle away from him. He knew that he should stop drinking by now, but to hell with it. If Tony wasn’t allowed to sleep with a hot minor, he could still get drunk. “So you think I’m not going to prison?”

Steve determinedly shook his head. “Nope. Like I said, you aren’t his boss or his teacher, that would be bad. Also your name is Stark, you’re not going to prison. If the kid keeps his mouth shut… you got away with a scare. Please, Tony… I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but stop fucking kids.”

Smirking softly Tony nudged Steve with his elbow and decided that he wouldn’t worry anymore. Steve was right. Everything was fine if Loki didn’t tell that had slept with each other. “I’ll try… You want something to eat? Maybe it’ll soak up some of the vodka.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

They staggered into the kitchen and since as usual Tony’s fridge was stacked with leftovers. Two minutes later him and Steve were sprawled out on the couch, boxes of Chinese, Thai and Korean food between them. There were also some fried chicken and Tony envied Steve for being able to eat anything and to still look like a statue made out of marble. Maybe it had something to do with all that work-out. All the fucking time.

It was time to say something, but it was rather difficult to find a new topic when the last thing Steve had said had been about Tony fucking an underaged person. “So how are things going with your… fitness guy?” Tony didn’t bother to remember names of people he hadn’t met yet and things were never serious until Steve introduced his guy to Tony.

“You won’t like him.”

“Huh? Why?” Tony didn’t trust the dark smirk on Steve’s face.

“He’s 27. Way too old.”

“Oh fuck you.”

At least Steve was already laughing at this terrible story. That was a beginning. “No, he’s very nice.”

“Nice sucks.” Watching Steve carefully Tony could see the light smile on his lips. Now that was surprising. Maybe nice didn’t suck so much after all. “He’s freaking beautiful and such a nice guy. I have a theory about guys who are beautiful and not assholes.”

“Like myself?”

Steve snorted. “I’m trying to make a point here… If you’re that… attractive… not just a little bit, but… stunningly beautiful… you grow up to become a dick. Because people are kissing your ass and staring at you, giving you everything you want. James is gorgeous, but so sweet. I think I’ve never dated a nicer guy. So either he’s a psychopath and only waiting to kill me… or he was fat as a kid.”

How could Tony not burst out in loud laughter? Especially since he had seen enough pictures of a 17 year old Steve. “You are crazy… Okay, you are the nicest person on earth despite being hot and yes, I know that you didn’t always look like that. But look at me. I am rich and I’ve always been incredibly beautiful. I’m also very nice. So?”

Chuckling softly Steve shrugged so casually that Tony almost felt offended. “Tony, I love you, but you aren’t a nice person. Okay, I think you’re a nice person, because I know you and I can appreciate your charm. Most people still think that you’re an asshole.”

Tony couldn’t argue with that. “Cool, all I’m hearing is that I’m beautiful. So, he’s nice and hot. Two great qualities. How’s the sex going?”

Just like expected Steve rolled his eyes. “Haha. You know very well that we haven’t done it yet. I’m not rushing this.”

“There’s a difference between not rushing things and acting like a prude.”

“Right, that’s the definition of a prude. Tell me, how long did you know the son of your boss before you decided to screw him?”

“I’m never going to hear the end of that, right?”

“Never.”

It was amazing that they could already make jokes about this. Hopefully it would continue like this and Tony would be directly beheaded after entering his office tomorrow. Anyway, Steve’s new guy. “You’re going to introduce him to me?”

Suddenly the bottom of the box seemed very interesting, judging by the way Steve was staring at it. “I think so, yes. When I know if he’s really into me.”

“Oh come on, who isn’t into you? I’m happy for you if it’s going to work out with him and I hope he really is that hot.”

Steve rolled his eyes once again. “We need to get you boyfriend or a girlfriend, Tony. Somebody over 18.”

“Very funny and no. I like being single, but I agree with the over 18 thing.”

“What about that guy from work? Bruce? You said you liked him.”

Tony wanted to laugh, but then settled for another shrug. “He’s the only normal guy there. I’d like to work with him, but that’s about it. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Meeting James.”

“Cool. Dinner the day after tomorrow then? You tell me everything about James and by then I’ll know if I’m going to prison or not.”

“Consider it a date.”

***                                                                   

Tony was walking on eggshells. Yeah, logically it was rather unlikely that Loki would say anything, but that didn’t change the fact that Tony had fucked his bosses kid. The second he entered the building he expected someone to grab him and punch him in the face. That didn’t happen though.

When Natasha smiled at him Tony knew that he was okay. She would know if something was wrong and he also didn’t doubt that she would tell him. Perhaps he was going to walk away from this after all. Borrson called him once during the day and when Tony hung up, he was five seconds away from a heartattack.

Unbelievable. Simple things like not being killed or having to go to prison could make a guy incredibly happy. Tony celebrated by inviting Natasha to a drink at the end of the day.

“Gladly, but my boyfriend is going to pick me up from work, so…”

“Bring him. I don’t mind. I’d like to see the guy who had the balls to ask you out on a date and succeed.”

So Tony ended up in a very nice bar with Natasha and her boyfriend Clint. It was quite easy to tell that he was completely outmatched. That Natasha was able to kick his ass was no secret and her boyfriend wasn’t any better. He had sharp features and unusal bright, grey eyes. Tony felt uncomfortable if they lingered on him for too long, but when Clint was talking, he was quite okay. After he had made sure that Tony wasn’t some stupid pervert who wanted to bang his assistant.

“Don’t get me wrong, probably you’re a decent guy, but if I got a dollar for every time some asshole she was working with tried to score with Nat… I’d be richer than you.”

Yep, Tony liked that guy. “I bet you’d be even richer if you got a dollar for every guy she made regret that he didn’t act like a perfect gentleman around her.”

Clint laughed and his eyes showed clearly that he had decided that he liked Tony. Of course, who didn’t like him? He was awesome.

“Hey, I’m also sitting at this table. Don’t talk to me as if I wasn’t here.” Natasha smiled darkly at them, she was amused, but it was obvious that there was some truth in their discussion. So Tony made the same mental note for the fourhundredth time – Never make Natasha angry.

“We would never dare to do that. How did you guys meet?”

As it turned out Clint didn’t have the balls to ask Natasha out on a date. He had watched her for an entire night in a club until she walked over to him and told him to fucking buy her a drink or to stop staring at her. Then she had taken him home. Yes, Tony liked her more by the second.

“It’s been four years now. She knows how to choose the good ones.” Clint grinned at Natasha who rolled her eyes, but the affection between those two was all too obvious. Luckily Steve wasn’t here to see that. Otherwise he would start his relationship talk all over again.

Tony was having a good time. He learned that Clint worked as a fitness coach and that he gave lessons in material arts. Another person he shouldn’t mess with. Why did Tony always end up liking people who could totally kick his ass? Steve, Natasha, now Clint. The latter agreed to show him some moves if he wanted to.

“Could be useful in negotiations with those fucking businessmen who want to screw you over.”

Yeah, Tony could think of a few.

After two more drinks Clint excused himself, he was receiving a call from a friend. Tony instantly took advantage of the opportunity and told Natasha that her boyfriend was awesome.

“I know. Most of the time… the rest of the time I’m kicking his ass for being a moron. That’s what a healthy relationship is all about.” Natasha smiled sweetly at him and took a sip from her drink.

Tony heard Steve yelling at him. That he was about to do something stupid, but curiosity had always been one of Tony’s biggest weaknesses. “Uhm… since I’ve been a good little boy and told you a story you can tell Borrson… any chance you’ll tell me a little story?”

One of here eyebrows went up and Tony knew that he had raised her interest. Careful now, he had to watch out that he wouldn’t give more away than he wanted to. “What story do you want to hear?”

“Yesterday I was in Borrson’s office when his kid stormed in and kept yelling at him. Borrson was pretty pissed off. You know by any chance what this was all about?”

“Loki, right…” She got that look on her face, when you were about to tell something that made you glad that the story wasn’t about you. “As far as I know he’s been in England during the last few years. Boarding school. A few weeks ago they brought him back home. No further explanation, but there are rumors that he got himself expelled. Don’t know if it’s true. I don’t know too much, but it’s no secret that their relationship is quite difficult. The kid has a temper and he’s 15… I guess it’s normal that he’s yelling at his father.”

Again the main information Tony got was that Loki was fucking 15 years old. “I can't picture a 16 year old Thor yelling at Borrson.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “Yeah, from what I’ve heard that was never the case. It seems like Loki is the black sheep. Well, at least in comparison to Thor. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy… why would anybody name their kids Loki and Thor?”

Ah, since Tony was a good little boy, he had listened to Steve and now he knew what she meant with that. “Maybe he just wants to live up to his name…”

For some reason Natasha now frowned and Tony felt like he was going to be sick. She wasn’t on to him? No, that was ridiculous.

“Did I miss something important?” Clint was back, sat down and pecked Natasha on the lips.

“Just talking about work. Boring. Unimportant. You know what’s important? Alcohol. Another round, I’m paying. Don’t forget to report to Borrson that I’m a useless drunk.”

 ***

 Tony was getting a grip or at least he was trying to. It was Steve’s fault. Everything was always Steve’s fault. Steve was living a decent life, with a steady job, a nice flat and now he was also off the market. Tony wasn’t an asshole, he didn’t mind when Steve was in a relationship. He’d only be pissed off if he was about to get less of Steve’s time, because of the new boyfriend. Until now Tony had only met him one single time, but he seemed nice. There was no way that anybody would ever be good enough for Steve, so Tony was content when they realised that and weren’t taking advantage of Steve’s good-hearted nature.

James had already earned a lot of bonus points by being incredibly good looking. Yes, he needed a haircut, but whatever. Maybe Steve liked long hair to tangle his fingers in while having sex. Anyway, James had a good sense of humour, except for the fact that he didn’t like his name and insisted on being called Bucky. Seriously?

None of that mattered in the big picture anyway. When they had met up in a nice little coffee shop James… Bucky hadn’t done much else than looking at Steve with big, bright eyes filled with adoration. That was all Tony was interested in. If Bucky knew that Steve was the greatest person on earth, Tony would gladly allow him to hang out with them. Also Steve was happy.

The bad thing about that was that Steve wanted Tony to be happy too and he still insisted on a steady relationship being necessary to be happy. Just to make Steve shut up about this Tony went on a date with a nice girl who turned out to be a complete bitch and he went home with the waiter who turned out to be a freak in bed. Steve rolled his eyes and Tony could at least say that he had tried.

“I have a collegue, you’d like her. She’s funny, attractive and she likes to boss people around.” Bucky said this the most casual way while reaching for the popcorn.

Tony answered with a yawn and crossed his arms behind his head. “I don’t need someone to boss me around. I’ve got Steve.”

His best friend chuckled softly, but didn’t join in on their conversation. He was quite content to rest his head on Bucky’s shoulder and to watch the movie. Bucky still was persistent, probably Steve had told him to try everything to set Tony up. “Well, she’s awesome and I think she’s able to take your shit. No offence.”

“None taken. On a scale from 1 to 10, how hot is she?”

Once again Steve laughed, another proof how fucking happy he was. Normally he would be annoyed by Tony’s superficial behaviour. “Tony…”

“She’s a Yoga instructor.”

Now that sounded interesting. “Okay, I’m hooked. Give me her number if you want to ruin her life.”

“Tony, you’re not that bad…” Steve shot him a short glance before turning back to the television.

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I were thinking that. She can handle you and she isn’t the type of girl that expects a proposal after the first date. I just think that you’d like her.” Bucky shrugged and it was quite cute to see that he immediately regretted that little movement, because Steve’s head slipped off his shoulder and instead of putting it back, Steve sat up straight.

“I like a lot of girls and I like a lot of guys.” Tony leered and like a good old married couple they both sighed in response. “Well, at least you tried.” Steve kissed Bucky and entwined their fingers.

Yeah, they just wanted him to get a partner, so they could go out together. Have brunch, two couples, that must be the dream.

“We thought about going dancing tomorrow night. You wanna come?” Steve looked at him questionably and Tony would have loved to agree, but his fucking job had to suck the fun out of his life once again. “I can’t. Tomorrow night I gotta go to that banquet… suck up to investors, act nicely, put on a suit… Nah, I’m going to call in sick.”

“No, you’re not. It sounds important, you’re going to be there and you’re going to be behave.”

“See? What do I need a girlfriend for? Your boyfriend is already bossing me around enough.”

Since Bucky was a cool guy and not a jealous little bitch, he laughed at Tony’s comment and then smiled at Steve. “He just knows what’s best.”

Unfortunately Bucky was right about that and Tony had no choice anyway. Maybe he would be able to sneak out early and then he could still get drunk with his friends.

The next day, an hour before Tony left for the banquet, Howard called him. Of course Tony didn’t answer the phone and instead listened to the heartwarming message Howard left on his answering machine. Don’t embarrass me. Act like a grown-up. And for god’s sake, wear a decent suit.

Before even having finished listening to the message Tony poured himself a bourbon and downed it. The liquid burned its way down Tony’s throat, but he still felt tense and hated himself for it. He was an adult, one day he simply had to stop being bothered by whatever his dad said. Fuck Howard…

After another bourbon Tony called his driver and decided to make a complete fool out of himself. So Howard wanted him to act like a good little boy? Oh, Tony would show him. The second he showed up at the party Tony’s eyes scanned the room to find the first waiter with a tablet full of booze. Boring old businessman, asshole in a suit, businessman, heir, asshole in a suit… Bingo! Instantly Tony winked the guy over and got himself a cocktail. He had no idea what he was drinking, but it was strong. Good.

“Ah, Tony. There you are. Let me introduce you to some important people.” Borrson, right. Tony just didn’t get a break. It was meaningless talk and ass kissing. People who smiled at each other, throwing compliments around when they really depised the other with every little single part of their existence. Tony fit in just perfectly, because they also despised every single one of them.

The way they thought of themselves of the kings of the world, standing there with their glasses of champagne in their hands which had probably never done any real work in their whole lives. And their conversations made Tony’s skin crawl. Have you heard about that new war in this region? Wonderful, isn’t it? How can we make more money from this? It didn’t even cross their minds that war meant that people were suffering, dying. In this world everything revolved about a single topic – profit.

Tony didn’t fit in here, he never had. He belonged in a lab, he should be working with metal, wires, computers… just anything but people. Economics was all about getting money out of people, finding the easiest way to screw them over or to fuck with entire countries. Whatever helped them to be sooner capable to buy themselves a bathtub made of gold…

Yap, he needed another drink. Not that stupid champagne. Again another proof why Tony had to stop himself from storming out of the door. They drank fucking loads of it, because a single bottle cost a fortune. Nobody cared about the taste as long as it was expensive. It would take two bottles of this shit to even feel a little buzz. Luckily Tony had come prepared.

For what seemed an eternity Tony was standing next to Borrson, shaking the hands of some old moguls that Montgomery Burns’ appreciation of the little people to shame. Bunch of rich dirtbags who felt disgusted by the thought of using public transport or eating a hamburger. Those things were for common people.

Howard would have loved this.

Thank god some guy in a Louis Vuitton suit wanted to talk in private with Borrson and Tony got a second to breathe. Downing a glass of the sparkly stuff that wasn’t worth the money Tony let his eyes fall shut for moment. Worst party he had ever been to. He could hear them laughing and chatting all around him, having a good time. By now Tony had only two possibilities left. Getting drunk or text Steve to give him a call and an excuse to storm off. Well, he could try and say that his cat had just tried to commit suicide? Tony wasn’t drunk enough yet to come up with something better.

“Tony!”

Inwardly Tony groaned. Fine, this day was already completely fucked-up, so why not deal with deal with bootlicking god of thunder. Opening his eyes Tony turned around and faced a beaming Thor. A complete mystery. Stonehenge. The Easter Islands. And the mystery how anybody could be in a good mood at this party.

“Hey Thor…” Tony thought about adding a hammer joke, but Thor probably wouldn’t get it anyway. “How are things going?”

How was it even possible to smile that widely? “Great, thank you. Look, I want to introduce you to my brother.”

A single word that the blood in Tony’s veins into ice. What were the odds that there was another brother that they had forgotten to mention? Tony’s silent prayer wasn’t answered, instead god laughed right into his face. Jailbait was standing right next to Thor and all the champagne Tony had been drinking suddenly seem to want to come back out. No, he wasn’t going to be sick right now.

Loki was feeling different though. A smile playing around his lips and it caused shivers to run down Tony’s back, but not in a good way. It only took one look at the kid to know that Loki was having fun. The little shit was enjoying this, he gleefully watched how Tony was having his first heart attack. 31 years was too young to have a heart attack… but too old to fuck a minor.

What was the kid even doing here? He was a fucking kid! He shouldn’t be present at this kind of… party and scare the fuck out of Tony. Thor was capable of smashing Tony’s head with a single hand if he wanted to. Judging by the big smile on his face Tony was going to survive the next few minutes. Hopefully. “Tony Stark, this is my little brother Loki. Loki, this is…”

“I know, we have already met.”

That was it. Tony was dead. Goodbye world. Hopefully Steve would make sure they would write something elequont on his tombstone. Something like ‘Got killed because he couldn’t keep his fingers to himself’. His flight reflex was already kicking him, while Thor was nonethewiser. “You have? How so?”

Loki turned his admittedly still incredibly gorgeous head and meet Tony’s eyes. Still smiling so smugly. How was he even capable of doing that? Then again, Tony shouldn’t be wondering about that now. Rather be searching for the nearest exit.

“Mr Stark…” The kid was saying Tony’s name as if it was his favourite word in the world. “…was in a meeting with Odin when I showed up to confront him about being a complete arsehole. I guess I made quite an impression.”

It was an awkward state, to be caught between numbing fear and the wish to burst out laughing. Thor looked so deliciously shocked and honestly embarrassed while Loki kept smiling. “Loki! You can’t talk about our father like that! Are you even aware of…”

“Oh, save it, Thor. I’m already bored. I’m going to get myself something to drink.”

“Loki…”

The smile faded and Loki rolled his eyes like a 15 year old would. “Just some lemonade, don’t freak out.”

And that was it. Loki was just walking away. Tony released the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. If Loki hadn’t smiled at him the way he had, Tony would be sure if he had even recognized him. Not a wince, flinch, anything. Fuck it, by now Tony was happy to drink a glass of that champagne. Anything to calm down his nerves. Was he shaking?

There was still enough of his luck left, Thor was feeling too embarrassed to even notice that Tony had scraped the edge of a panic attack. “I have to apologize on his behalf. I am so sorry.”

Focus, Tony, focus. Talk. Open your mouth. Words. Use them. “Uhm…” Good, that was a sound. Now make it comprehensible. “Don’t worry. I didn’t like my father too at that age.”

Or now…

Thor let out a loud sigh and all traces of his lightheartedness were gone. “No excuse to act like that in front of other people… Especially here with all of fathers business partners around…” He sounded more frustrated than angry and he instantly came around to start defending his little brother. “He’s having a difficult time. He’s been the last four years in England and he wasn’t keen on coming back. Now he’s rebelling a little bit.”

A little bit? Calling his dad an asshole in front of Tony wasn’t peanuts… not to mention the fact that since he’s been back Loki had slept with a guy 16 years older than him… and Tony had bought him whiskey. Just the average teenage rebellion, for sure.

“So… uhm… why did you bring him here?”

“Father wants to start introducing him into the family business. He says it’s about time that Loki meets some people.”

Maybe Tony had been wrong about Thor. While explaining his fathers plans the big guy seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable. Like he didn’t think it was that much of a good idea. Or maybe it was just due to the fact that Loki was acting out.

“Let me guess, he doesn’t want to.”

“He’s still upset about… coming to New York. He’ll come around as soon as he’s made new friends.”

Where? In bars where he wasn’t allowed to be anyway?

Tony needed another glass of… something stronger. “Excuse me for a second?”

“Sure. Of course.”

Slipping past Thor Tony walked across the room and stopped next to the waiter who looked like he needed one hundred bucks the most. “Is it possible to get some actual alcohol around here? Without everybody noticing it?”

The waiter looked around when Tony slid the note into his hand. “There’s adjoining room where we keep some extra tables and chairs. How about you check it out… in five minutes?”

Finally a likable person around here.

Tony spent the next five minutes dodging bullets, trying to avoid everybody who could try to start a conversation with him. Most of all Loki. Luckily the kid didn’t seem to be interested in him at all, he was being stalked by Thor himself.

Finally Tony managed to slip away and took a deep breath when he closed the door behind him. The waiter had been right, this looked pretty much like a storage room, tables and chairs stocked over each other. Right on top of a table was a bottle of vodka and Tony decided he loved that waiter.

Grabbing the bottle Tony leaned against the table and took a big gulp. Better. Way better. Now it was time to come up with an excuse to get away. He wasn’t going to hang out here any longer, not when jailbait was running around. Fuck, what was Tony going to do if the kid was going to hang around the company all the time now? Introducing him to the family business…

Fuck, that had to count as child labour. Anyway, Tony wanted that kid as far away from him as possible. Damn, how much badluck could he actually have? Tony was just about to bring the bottle back to his lips when the door was being opened. Fucking wonderful, now he was going to have to explain to some…

“Ah, seems like I’ve found the real party.”

Loki shoved the door shut behind him and Tony felt like a lamb being led to the butcher.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Tony alone in a room with Loki... does he even have a chance to get out of this without ending up in trouble? :D
> 
> Have fun reading ;)

Those green eyes were sparkling in the dimly lit room. This was an extraordinarily beautiful… kid. Tony was in trouble, very deep trouble. Closed door. Him and Loki in the same room. That wasn’t going to work out.

“Open the fucking door.”

Loki ignored his request and walked straight towards him. He wasn’t wearing a suit, but black pants and a dark green blazer. That he knew how to carry himself was nothing new.

“Mind sharing that bottle?”

Already way too close Loki reached for the bottle, but Tony refused to give it to him. “Open the door.”

The smile on this beautiful mouth got even bigger, because Loki knew exactly that Tony wasn’t as calm as he was trying to come across. “Nah, I enjoy the company in here way more than the one outside. Don’t worry, nobody saw me coming in here. Anyway if I’m supposed to go back to these morons I need something to drink. So, please?”

Too bad for him, but Tony couldn’t afford being reckless anymore. Especially around this kid he would now be acting like a decent adult. Which didn’t include alcohol or closed doors. “You’re too young to be drinking.”

“This is funny. I remember you being quite eager to do a lot of things with me that I’m not considered old enough for and you were having quite a good time, Tony.” Loki tilted his head, slid up a little closer to him and Tony instantly backed away. “Can’t we go back to Mr. Stark?”

The kid seemed honestly amused and crossed his arms in front of his chest. 15? How could anyone be so hard-boiled at this age? He should be making childish jokes and thinking about skipping school.

“Gladly, but only if Mr. Stark lets me have some of the vodka.”

Tony could just walk out off here, but he had no idea if Loki was the type of person to cause a scene if he didn’t get his will. No way in hell Tony was going to risk anything. Giving the kid the bottle wasn’t as bad as having him running around and telling everybody that Tony had fucked him.

Reluctantly Tony let him have the bottle and Loki grinned contently. “I didn’t know you are only 15.”

It didn’t change anything, but Tony still wanted to have said it at least one time. The kid quirked an eyebrow while bringing the bottle up to his lips. After taking a big swallow of vodka Loki gave him the reply that Tony didn’t really want to hear. “Oh, that’s not the problem and you know it.”

Great, he was also smart. This couldn’t get any worse. Tony gritted his teeth and grabbed the bottle. There had been no talk about Loki being able to keep it. “Fine, I didn’t know that you are 15 and that you are the son of my boss.”

For some reason this statement wiped the grin off Loki’s face. “He’s not my father.”

What? Tony frowned, having no idea what was going on. A bit harsh, even for a rebellious teenager. Then again, Tony didn’t like to refer to Howard as his father too. He didn’t know this kid, they had barely exchanged words, so he shouldn’t think too much of it.

“Whatever… I hope we agree on… that whatever happened between us… didn’t really happen.” Placing the bottle on the table Tony plucked up all of his courage and directly looked into these green eyes.

“Really? Now that’s a pity. I wouldn’t like to erase such a fond memory.”

No. Enough. Tony wouldn’t let himself be played by a kid. He had dealt with a lot of shit and idiots in his life and Tony had never backed down, he wouldn’t start now. “Okay, fine. I expect the little story about us hooking up to stay between the two of us. No need to share that fond memory with other people.”

Loki let out a little laugh and Tony liked how it sounded. He liked it too much. “You’re worried I might spread the word that you like to fuck teenagers?”

“No, you’re smart, you wouldn’t do that. Because you would also have to tell that you hang out in bars, drink and smoke.”

Again that laugh. “Like someone’s going to be interested in that part of the story. I also have a reputation of doing stupid things…”

Tony hated to admit it, but Loki was completely right about that. Who cared about Loki having a beer or two? In the end Tony was still the one who committed a felony. They both knew that and Loki was having fun with that. “Okay, listen. We both expected to never see each other again. Can’t we just leave it at that?”

Now the kid was incredibly hard to read, it had been way easier when Tony had been drunk and willing to do the stupidest thing imaginable. His eyes were very expressive and fixed on Tony. No, he wasn’t going to…

Yes, he did. Loki came closer, again, putting his hand on the edge of the table, right next to Tony’s hip, pretty much putting his arm around Tony’s waist. “But we did see each other again…”

“Get the fuck away from me.”

When Loki didn’t, Tony pushed him, carefully though. The kid let it happen and shrugged. “Relax, I’m not going to tell anybody. We’ve had fun. I’m not going to get you into trouble for giving me a good fuck.”

Tony forced himself to show no visible reaction, but his eyes darted over Loki’s shoulder to the door. Still closed. Good, if somebody had walked in, Tony would have had to shoot himself. “Fine. Glad we cleared this up. Have fun at the party. I’m out of here…”

Two steps. He didn’t get any further.

“Who’s Steve Rogers? Your boyfriend?”

Stopping dead in his tracks Tony sucked in a deep breath. The sound of Loki’s voice was absolutely even and it appeared to be a normal question, but it was about Steve. Tony was willing to deal with a lot of crap, especially when it was his own fault, but Steve had nothing to do with this. Instantly there was this feeling, the need to watch out for his best friend. Steve always had his back and so did Tony. Unfortunately Steve had to be there for Tony a lot more than the other way round.

“Where do you know his name from?” Tony turned back around and his tone was sharp, Loki should immediately know that he had gone one step too far. You could mess with Tony, but not with his friends.

The change was clearly visible. Loki straightened up and cleared his throat. Now he didn’t seem quite as cocky, but still confident enough. “You are Tony Stark. Your place didn’t look like something you’d expect from the son of a billionaire. I must know, I am one too.”

That made sense, but still didn’t explain why Loki knew about Steve. “Go on.”

Loki huffed. “The internet? I typed in the address and it spit out his name. I am curious. You had a key and I can’t imagine just somebody offering you their flat to fuck your newest conquest there. Is he your boyfriend? I’m still not going to tell, but it wouldn’t be very classy move…”

Tony should feel offended, but he had done a lot of outrageous things in his life. This wouldn’t even be the worst thing he’d ever been accused of. Should Loki believe whatever he wanted to believe. It didn’t matter and Steve knew what had happened anyway. Nothing stopped Tony from walking out of that door.

Except for the fact that he didn’t want Loki to think that he had been cheating on his boyfriend with him. Fucking a teenager in the bed he normally shared with Steve. What kind of person would do that?

“No, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend.”

Pursing his lips Loki looked at him intently, probably trying to figure out if he should buy this story. “Must be a great friend if he lets you use his bed…”

“That’s not a regular thing, for god’s sake!”

“Calm down, I’ve never said it was. Why did you bring me to his place though?”

This conversation was going on way too long and somebody could walk in on them any second. Hell, Thor was probably already looking for his baby brother. What was Tony doing? “Does it matter?”

Loki used his arms to push himself up on the table, letting his long legs tangle above the floor. “No, but I’m interested. Was it closer to the bar than your place and you couldn’t wait?” That grin should be illegal. Not only the grin, everything about this kid. Placing his hands flat on the table behind himself Loki leaned back, putting his body perfectly on display. Tony couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering down from his head to these perfect hips, stopping shortly at that flat stomach… Wait, what the fuck was wrong with him? That kid was illegal! And Tony was actually able to learn from mistakes. Quickly he looked back up, but of course it hadn’t gone by unnoticed.

“I didn’t bring you to my place. Whatever. Doesn’t mean anything.”

“No, it means you’re smart. Tony Stark showing up with a teen at his place. You wouldn’t want people to notice that…”

Tony didn’t say anything, but didn’t move.

The kid’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. Either he did it subconsciously or he just knew how to make it look sexy without being obvious. “I like smart… Did you pick me up because you are into that? Doing things that could get you into trouble? Does that turn you on?”

Out. Now. Tony should have run off minutes ago. “This conversation is over. Have a nice evening. Don’t get drunk. Be nice to your brother and be home before… damn, you should already be asleep…”

Without looking over his shoulder Tony stormed out of the room and didn’t stop until he had left the building. Yes, Borrson would tell Howard that he had just disappeared, but what the hell. Everything was better than being around this little tease

Bucky and Steve had said something about dancing, right?

God bless Steve, he answered his phone after the second ringing. Tony could barely make out his voice because all of that noise in the background. “Tony, hey…”

“Steve, which club are you at? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

After getting the name Tony stopped the next taxi and twenty minutes later he was trying to get through a crowd of dancing, sweating people. The music wasn’t after his taste, but compared to the party he had just left – this was heaven. Finally he spotted his best friend and Bucky sitting at a table. Lucky bastards, they could sit here and make out while Tony had to put up with the teenager he… Enough of that.

“Hello there.”

They both flinched and stared at him surprise when Tony sat down opposite of him. It took one second then Steve smiled brightly at him. “Hey, you made it.”

“And you look pissed off. What happened?” Bucky raised an eyebrow at him and Tony decided that he didn’t like that. “Nothing. I’m perfectly fine.”

Steve’s smile faded away like it always did when he caught Tony lying. “Are you drunk?”

“A little bit, but definitely not enough. Mind if I take that?” Not waiting for an answer Tony took the glass standing in front of Steve and jugged it. Tequila, wonderful.

Bucky and Steve shared a look and Tony hated it. Now they were worrying about him and Tony felt like the fuck-up he was. It also wasn’t hard to figure out that there was one person too many at this table and that was him. They had probably had a nice evening until now and Tony didn’t want to be responsible for it going downhill now. Good thing that Tony already had an idea how to spend the night and make the most of it.

“Listen, you two guys have fun. Go back to making out, I’ll hit the dancefloor. I’ll call you tomorrow and we do some catching up. Bye.”

Jumping back up to his feet Tony made his way back into the crowd. He didn’t want to lose a lot of time, so Tony started instantly scanning his surroundings. A pretty, petite blonde not far away from him, dancing wildly to the music. Lovely, but Tony quickly realised that he didn’t want a woman tonight. Focusing his attention on the men Tony didn’t have to search for long.

Tall and handsome, standing next to the dancefloor, sipping on a beer. Black hair, slightly curled, soft features and he was very lean. Those legs looked really good in tight demin. Smirking to himself Tony moved a little closer to get a better look, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn’t tell yet if these eyes were green or blue, but they definitely weren’t brown.

No, Tony wouldn’t do that. Yes, that guy was beautiful and he had instantly caught his eye, but that would just be wrong. Reason against attraction. Turning around Tony shook his head. If he took that guy home, he’d only be capable of thinking about the kid. Stretched out on the table.

Fuck…

 ***

An obnoxious sound pulled Tony from his well deserved sleep. Two seconds of blissful nothingness, then his headache caught up with him. Right, he had been drinking last night. Groaning Tony rolled around and buried his face in his pillow. Doing that he bumped into something. Right, he didn’t go home alone last night. Opening his eyes Tony took a look at the person still sleeping next to him. They had turned his back to him, so Tony only saw blonde hair.

That horrible sound didn’t stop and Tony realised that it was his phone. Which insane person would call at this hour? Granted, Tony had no idea what time it was, but he had just woken up, so it was definitely too soon.

Grunting Tony blindly reached for his phone on the nightstand and brought it up to his ear. “Hello?”

“It’s half past eleven. I shouldn’t be surprised that I just woke you up.”

Tony’s fingers were twitching to end this call immediately. Wonderful way to have this day already ruined during the very first minute. “If you knew that I’d still be asleep… why calling to wake me up?”

“Believe me, Tony, I wish I wouldn’t have to do that.” Howard sighed, making it sound like he didn’t enjoy the fuck out of this. “But since you’ve made a fool out of yourself yesterday and thereby also embarrassed me…”

“What? Because I didn’t stay at the fucking banquet longer than I needed to? I was there. I shook hands. I listened to stupid assholes talking about enslaving the entire Third World. I don’t think anybody missed me.”

“You are wrong about that. Your absence was noted, along with the fact that you went without saying goodbye. Are you doing this on purpose? Acting like a child? Me and Odin are offering you this great chance and react with ungrate-“

“You know what, Howard? It’s too early for me to put up with this bullshit. Bye.” After hanging up Tony simply dropped the phone and resisted the temptation to punch his cushion.

“Trouble?”

The guy next to him had turned around and Tony patted himself mentally on the shoulder. Nice, very pretty and Tony didn’t have a clue what his name was. “Nah, just an idiot who dialled the wrong number. You want some breakfast?”

Sitting up the one night stand shook his head. “No, thanks. I should better get going.”

Fine, Tony had tried to be polite, but if the other one threw himself out… why not? When he was alone Tony took a long shower, swallowed some painkillers and made himself some coffee. Plans for tonight – lie on the couch and watch some old movies.

Tony had just started watching Citizen Kane when somebody is ringing the doorbell. Well, fuck them for forcing him to get back up on his feet. Opening the door Tony was facing the second blonde of this day. “Why the fuck are you ringing the fucking doorbell? You have a key…”

Turning around without waiting for an answer Tony returned to the couch. He heard Steve closing the door and a moment later he joined him on the couch. “I was afraid I would walk in on something if I used the key…”

Typical. “Guy left about an hour ago.”

“Okay… you’re watching Citizen Kane?”

“Yep. Lazy day. I’m not going to do anything. Just lying around and waiting for the hangover to pass. You want some coffee? Because that’s the only thing I can offer you.”

Out of the corner of his eye Tony could see Steve shaking his head. “Nah, I’m fine. Thank you… are you okay, Tony?”

Oh great, when Steve was worried it took a lot of time to put him at ease. Having an amazing best friend really was a curse. Well, sometimes. Most of the times it was wonderful. Maybe Tony should tell Steve that more often. “I’ve got a jackhammer in my head, but apart from that… I’m doing great.”

“You’re supposed to be a businessman, Tony. You need to learn how to lie at some point.”

Businessman. Last night came back all at once and Tony winced. “Don’t say that… I’m a mechanic. Not a fucking businessman.”

“I know and I also know that you’re not doing okay. After last night it was quite obvious and you just disappeared. Not the way you usually do. Something happened at the banquet?” Steve’s voice was filled with so much concern that Tony couldn’t continue not looking at him.

Just like he had expected. Big blue eyes looking at him and Steve didn’t hide how worried he was. Tony hated it when he did that and he hated it even more when Tony was the reason for it. “Lot of old guys who pat each other on the back for exploiting the general public. Expensive champagne that tastes like shit. People who love my dad and wipe their ass with money because they can. If I’m staying too long around them, I’m going to become like them. They’re like zombies…”

For some reason Steve thought this was funny. A smile tugged his lips. “That’s ridiculous, Tony. You’re never going to be like that. Even if you tried… That’s just not how you are. You might go crazy hanging around these guys, but you’re not going to become one of them and you know that.”

Tony let out a sigh, but he had to admit that Steve’s words made him feel a little bit better. His big problem remained though and Steve was the only one he could talk to. “Loki was there.”

There was this second when Steve didn’t know who he was talking about. Then his eyes nearly popped out. “Oh shit… what was he doing there? He didn’t… He did not…?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t be sitting here if he told anyone. Actually he told me that he wasn’t going to say a single word.”

“You talked to him? Okay… slowly. He’s not going to tell. That’s good. Great. But what was he doing there and how did he get close enough to talk to you? You should make sure that there was always a table between you to.”

Nagging on his lower lip Tony thought about keeping that little detail to himself, but he decided against it. This was Steve after all. “Uhm… I might have been alone with him. In a room. With dim light… and a bottle of vodka.”

Now there was no hesitation. “Are you fucking insane?!”

“I love it when you swear… Look, I was trying to get away from the party. Then he suddenly walked in there and told me to relax because he wasn’t going to tell anyone. He… Fuck! You won’t believe it when I tell you. That kid is a cocky little shit. Standing there with that grin on his face and… he came on to me…”

Steve blinked, obviously in shock. “But… you didn’t…”

“Hell no! I’m stupid enough to fuck a teenager, but I’m not braindead. I’m not going to do it again.” Especially in a room where Loki’s big brother could walk in on them any second.

Now Steve was releasing a long breath of relief. “Thank god…”

“Hey, you really thought that I had done something!”

“Well…” Steve shrugged and a slight flush covered his cheeks. “Don’t get me wrong, but the way you’re describing him… You are into that. Cocky, straight forward, unafraid… you like that.”

“Not when the person is 15!”

“Didn’t stop you the first time…”

“Yeah! Cool! I fucked up! I fucking know that. Because that’s what I do. I fuck up…” Tony didn’t need Steve to tell him that. Nobody needed to do that, he knew very well that he wasn’t able to…

“Oh, stop that. You made a very stupid mistake and I don’t want you to get into more trouble. That’s all.” Steve was smiling at him and Tony hated himself for snapping at him.

Nodding slowly Tony smiled weakly back. “Yeah, sorry… I just… Borrson wants to introduce him to family business. Whatever that means. If he’s like Howard and I know he’s exactly like Howard… he’s going to force the kid to hang around the company… I’m going to run into him… again… and his dad and his brother… As if I didn’t hate that fucking job enough.”

“He’s 15… he can’t be there all the time and… maybe that would be a good time to get out of there. That job is taking quite a toll on you anyway…”

Wouldn’t it be nice if it was that easy? “The second I call it quits, I’m done. Howard will make sure that I’ll end up on the streets. I’m completely unfit to do that. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I guess this was his plans. Get me used to a life where pretty much nothing is off the limit and then… I can’t break free, because I’m too much of a coward to do without all this shit around here. Hell, there are a lot of things I could do. I have a lot of ideas… I need to be in a lab, that’s where I could be of use. There are only a few places which can provide the resources I would need to work with. Howard only needs to do one call and none of them is ever going to hire me. Even if I offer to work for free. That’s still optimistic, I’m never going to work anywhere in the whole industry…”

“Maybe… you’ve ever thought about doing something else?”

Now that was surprising. “What? You’re offering me a job?”

Steve responded with a laugh and shook his head. “I’m just trying to… help you. I don’t know…”

“Normally you tell me that I should try to make up with Howard…”

“I still think that’d be for the best, but every time I mention that you look at me like you’re one second away from skinning me alive.”

“I’m perfectly willing to reconcile… as soon as he apologizes for my shitty childhood, my shitty youth and the rest.” Tony shrugged, staring intently at the screen. It wasn’t painful to talk about this, not at all. He had come to terms with his situation years ago. “But that’s not going to happen and I’m not going to give in and become the little robot son he’s always wanted. Not going to happen. So I’m stuck.”

Steve remained silent and Tony knew this well enough, he was pitying him. Was there anything that Tony hated more? “Stop that.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“Stop it anyway.”

Instead of not doing anything Steve let out a sigh. “We should make sure that you eat something. You can’t live on coffee alone. Anything in your fridge?”

Good question, very question. “I have no idea. Some Chinese leftovers probably.”

“Sorry, you can’t live on coffee and leftovers… you need some real food. I’m going to check it out.”

So Steve got up and disappeared into Tony’s kitchen. It wasn’t like Tony was hungry or that he could even think about food without feeling even sicker. But if Steve was already in his kitchen, Tony wouldn’t do anything to stop him from whatever he was doing. Curling up into a tight ball Tony continued to the watch the movie. His head was still too heavy to hold it up this long.

Actually Tony’s eyes quickly slid shut and he had absolutely no intention to fall asleep, but keeping his eyes closed felt so incredibly relaxing.

“Tony… come on…”

Why did Steve have to talk to him? Tony was trying to sleep here. And what was that smell? Fucking delicious. Cracking an eye open Tony saw a plate right in front of him. “Where the hell did you find eggs?”

“In the fridge.”

“My fridge?”

“Yeah.” Steve chuckled honestly amused and put the plate on the couch table in front of them. Although Tony was still feeling like shit, he had to admit that these scrabbled eggs looked great. Although it was still highly suspicious that Steve pretended to have found actual food in Tony’s fridge. Grabbing the plate Tony smirked at Steve. “Can’t we make this a regular thing? I get drunk and you show up to make me scrambled eggs for… how late is it? Lunch. I think this is a great plan.”

“Sure. Or you could get yourself a girl- or boyfriend to do that.”

Rolling his eyes Tony shoved a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth. He didn’t bother to swallow before answering. “What for when I’ve got you?”

Sitting back down next to him Steve smiled softly. “Sorry to crush your dreams, but I won’t show up here every weekend to treat your hangover.”

“Why not? I’m adorable and those scrambled eggs are delicious.”

“Because I’ll be treating the hangover of my boyfriend. No, because I’m a hardworking guy and I want to sleep in on the weekends.”

Why did Tony have the feeling that the first answer was more legit than the second one? Right, because Steve hadn’t slept in a single day in his entire life. Well, it wasn’t like Tony didn’t understand his reasoning. If he were Bucky, he wouldn’t want Steve to hang around at Tony’s place Sunday morning. Speaking of the boyfriend. “What is he doing anyway? Sleeping in?”

Steve shook his head. “No, he’s working.”

“What the hell… it’s Sunday!”

“Lots of people work out on Sundays.”

“Yeah, but you guys were out last night.”

“Not as long as you.”

Got a point there. Tony decided to remain silent and just eat his scrambled eggs, while Steve watched him doing that. Kind of awkward, but it was Steve, so Tony didn’t mind. When Tony had finished his plate he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. “That was amazing, thanks.”

“Glad to be of service. Couldn’t let you starve after all.”

And it was gone. No more feeling proud, rather guilty. Steve had to take care of him way too many times. Either Tony was whining or hangover and Steve tried to make a decent person out of him. Time for them to do something normal. Something other people would also do. “Hey, I think there’s a good chance that’ll be able to leave the apartment tomorrow without dying from a headache. You wanna go to the movies? We could have a couple of drinks first. Even non-alcoholic. My treat.”

The answer was clear before Steve even opened his mouth. Again that look in his eyes when he was about to apologize although there was nothing to apologize for. “Sorry, but I have to work and afterwards Bucky and I want to go swimming.”

Weird guys who thought that doing sports together was a date.

“Okay, sure. Another time then. Or we could watch another movie now. I’m not going to fall asleep again…”

There was this soft smile on Steve’s lips and he nodded. “Sure. That sounds good.

Cool, perhaps this day wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

 ***

To Tony’s big surprise he didn’t get his ass kicked when he returned to work the next day. No appointment with Borrson and according to Natasha they weren’t planning on releasing hell on him. Apparently nobody hadn’t cared that much about him leaving the party early.

Tony did his work, which meant after an hour he put his feet on his desk and started to play an online quiz against some jerk. He had to use that terribly expensive computer for something, right? When there was some question Tony couldn’t answer, he sent the question via email to Natasha. The first time she only sent him a WTF back.

Three minutes and another question later, she replied that he should google it.

_This way is way more fun_

Natasha seemingly gave up and wrote back the answer to the question. Why not the first time?

Shortly before the lunch break Tony got a visitor. The second Thor entered his office Tony saw his little brother in front of his inner eye. Loki and him in that little dimly lit room. An open door and everybody would have known what had happened between the two of them. Well, Tony didn’t know if Thor was a kind of protective big brother, but he didn’t want to find out. These upper arms were big enough to crush Tony’s bones. He had to remind himself that Loki had said that he wouldn’t tell. The smile on Thor’s lips confirmed that. “Hey, Tony. You have a second to talk about the progress of the research department?”

The thing Tony wished he’d be working on instead of sitting in an office? Yeah, sure, gladly. “Did you make an appointment with my assistant?”

Thor’s smile faltered a little bit and Tony reminded himself that not everybody got his humour. “I’m joking. Sit down. What’s up?”

So Thor started talking and all Tony heard was his father talking. It crossed his mind to ask if it was nice to be Borrson’s puppet. Obviously this was what Howard expected of him. The conversation bored him so Tony pretended to take notes on his computer when he really was sending another question to Natasha.

_Who wrote the novel ‘The Hounds of Baskervilles’? I am not much of a reader_

Thor continued to babble about trying to speed up the work, so they’d sooner get results, but Tony didn’t care about that. They should be doing their work, in peace. Those guys were doing real work, not just sitting on their asses. For now Tony just answered with a few vague words, telling Thor that he’d look into it and then watched the door falling closed behind him.

“Urgent matters… gotta take care of them immediately.” Mumbling to himself Tony refreshed the page and was disappointed to see that Natasha hadn’t replied. There was another email though. The address consisted of numbers and letters, seemingly chosen by accident. Shrugging Tony opened it anyways and his eyebrows went up.

_Conan Arthur Doyle. A classic Sherlock Holmes tale. Only a person with a very limited education wouldn’t know that_

What the fuck? Okay, that person was rude, but Tony didn’t give a shit about that. The mail didn’t come from Natasha’s computer, so how could that person know what he had emailed her? Either somebody was supervising everything Tony did on his computer or somebody had been looking over Natasha’s shoulder. Whoever it was, they already knew that Tony was doing quizzes and now he was intrigued.

_Like I said – I don’t read a lot. I got a new question for you – Privacy? Heard that word before?_

Then Tony just waited for a few moments until the answer came flying in.

_Yes, I did. I am quite fond of it. I like private settings. You obviously don’t or you wouldn’t have run from me yesterday._

Oh, that little shit…


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Loki continues to show up and Tony tries to not pine after a 15 year old. Perfect time for Pepper to show up
> 
> Have fun :)

Although Tony’s fingers were itching to write a response, his mind told him no and it won. Something quite unusual, but Tony was proud of himself. Steve would be even prouder. Tony was acting responsible and like an adult, staying away from this kid. Mental pat on the shoulder.

Unfortunately this now meant that Tony had to stop playing quizzes and check his emails, because only looking at this stupid message made him want to respond to it. No, he was an adult. He wasn’t going to do something so stupid.

Not in the office anyway…

Before going home Tony made a little stop in front of Natasha’s desk when she was already getting ready to leave. “You’ve already sent your daily report of my misdeeds?”

Smirking at him she shook her head. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Oh, you would. Maybe you’d kill me afterwards, but you would tell me. Anyway… I got a question. Little detail. Totally unimportant. Did the Borrson kid hang around here by any chance?”

Tony hoped that his voice was sounding even and completely unsuspicious. There was no way to be sure around Natasha. At first she only raised an eyebrow, but then her expression changed as if she had only now understood what Tony was talking about. “You mean the little Odinson.”

“Okay, who are you talking about?”

Sighing softly Natasha stood up and Tony wasn’t adult enough to not notice how stunning she looked in that black pantsuit. Yap, Clint was a lucky bastard. “You mean Loki. His name is Loki Odinson. Thor Odinson. You didn’t know that.”

No, Tony didn’t know about that bullshit. “Care to explain? Odinson. Like son of Odin? What is that shit about?”

Natasha gave him that look. Like she couldn’t believe it was even possible to ask a question this stupid. Normally Howard gave Tony that look and he definitely preferred it from Natasha. “Borrson is from Iceland. I think Thor and Loki were also born there. They don’t have family names in Iceland. Borrson’s father was named Borr, so he’s Borrson. Thor is Odinson and Thor’s kid will be Thorson. Don’t ask me how they organize the white pages. I have no idea.”

If Tony were Icelandic he would be named Howardson? Fuck, it felt good to be American.

“To answer your question – yes, Loki was here. Actually when Thor was in your office. Loki was waiting for him outside and chatted with me. Kid has nasty sense of humour, but he’s wicked smart. Why?”

“Nothing, I thought I had heard his voice and I was curious. Have a nice night. Tell Clint I said hi.” Lost in thought Tony walked off and wondered how intelligent a 15 year old had to be to be considered wicked smart by Natasha. Obviously smart enough to look over her shoulder and memorize Tony’s email address.

Yes, he had already known that he kid wasn’t shy. Going home with a man twice your age wasn’t something that shy kids did. Now Loki was enjoying it quite a lot to annoy Tony. Or to scare him. Whatever.

Driving home Tony was still pondering the same thoughts and at home he got himself his laptop, a glass of red wine and settled on his couch. Checking his emails Tony almost dropped the glass and ruined his carpet. 7 unread messages from Loki.

What the hell?

If Steve was here, he’d tell Tony to just delete them all and to do not give a shit about them. Well, Steve wasn’t here and Tony had no smart actions left for today. He started with the oldest email.

_Not talking to me? A shame. Okay, I’ll continue talking to myself_

Okay, that wasn’t too bad.

_You just let me sit there on that table and you didn’t even answer my question. Does it turn you on to do things that might get you into trouble?_

Again, this was the point where Tony should stop and just delete these other emails. What was he doing there anyway? Reading the messages of his boss’ son. Who was fucking 15 years old. This shouldn’t even interest him.

_I bet it does. Too bad you just walked out off there. I wanted to do something what would have definitely meant trouble… but you would have loved it_

Tony’s breath got caught. Because of a single line of typed letters. This was utterly ridiculous. During his lifetime he’s had a lot of sex, Tony had done some experimental shit and he definitely wasn’t inexperienced. So why was he almost aching to find out what the kid had had in mind.

No, he wasn’t going to read the next one. Definitely not.

_I didn’t get to suck your cock_

Tony almost slammed the laptop shut. It wasn’t just that sentence. He could see the kid sitting on the table, grinning at him and he heard him speaking with that suave voice. There was no denying it, Tony was incredibly attracted to Loki. 15 or not. Accepting that fact had been so much easier when he had been drunk and looking for something stupid to do. Now he was just a guy in his thirties who wanted to fuck a teenager. At least Loki already looked mature enough to not make Tony feel like complete freak.

Fine, so Tony had to live with the fact that he was having the hots for the son of his boss… who seemed to feel the same way. Yeah, that meant trouble. No way he was going to continue to read.

_I wanted to last Friday. I thought about it, just dropping to my knees and giving you head while those old bastards in the room next door have no idea what’s happening…_

That was it. Even Tony had a breaking point. As fast as he could he selected all the emails and deleted them. He was pretty sure that he accidentally also deleted some regular emails but what did he care. Putting the laptop away Tony rubbed one hand over his face and tried to not think about getting a blowjob from Loki.

What happened when you tried to not think of something? You did nothing else but thinking about it. Those lovely lips wrapped around his cock and deep green eyes staring up at him.

A familiar warmth was spreading in his lower body and perhaps that had been the little shit’s intention all along. To give Tony a hard-on in his office. Too bad, now Tony was at home and he could jerk off all he wanted.

Unzipping his pants Tony sighed in relief when his half hard cock wasn’t restrained by them anymore. Closing his eyes Tony wrapped his hand around his erection and tugged himself into complete hardness. This was absolutely wrong, but right now that only made it better. Tony imagined that filthy mouth instead of his fingers. Hot and wet. In his imagination Loki knew perfectly what he was doing, taking him down without hesitation.

“Fuck…” A groan escaped his lips and Tony sped up his movements.

He would bury his fingers in that long, black hair and keep him from moving to just thrust into perfect mouth. That hair was simply perfect for having sex. Rubbing his thumb over the tip of his cock Tony tried to imagine what Loki’s throat would feel around him. Fucking perfect. Still Tony would come in his mouth to his him swallow all of his come.

Unfortunately Tony was only arching into his very own hand when he came with a soft sigh. Now completely relaxed Tony sunk back into the cushions and caught his breath. The aftermath of his orgasm quickly faded away though and Tony felt again like the pathetic little man he was. Jerking off to the teenage son of his boss. Very classy…

With a sigh Tony heaved himself up from the couch and he slowly staggered into the bathroom. After taking a nice long shower Tony slipped into new underwear and crawled into his bed. For a moment he played the thought of calling Steve, but he decided against it. He couldn’t annoy Steve with his shit everyday, he wasn’t his fucking boyfriend.

Boyfriend…

Yes, it wasn’t really Tony’s style, but on days like this it didn’t seem quite as bad. Tony’s boyfriend would of course be ridiculously hot and they would be busy having great sex all the time. Tony wouldn’t even have the time to think about any teen writing him filthy messages. Hell, Steve would be so proud of him for even considering this…

Not tonight though. All he’d be doing tonight was sleeping. Definitely not dreaming some illegal stuff.

 ***

Tony had never been so excited about a business meeting in his entire life. Actually he had never excited for a business meeting, because they were a pain in the ass, but now it meant that Tony could get out of his stupid office, this stupid building and talk to someone else than those fucking Borrson minions. Also getting out of there wouldn’t put him at risk of running into a 15 year old who wanted to suck his cock.

Anyway, the deal couldn’t be so important. Otherwise they would have never sent him to take care of it. Or perhaps they were all too eager to see him fuck up. Whatever, Tony didn’t give a shit, he got to go to a fancy restaurant and he wouldn’t even have to pay for all the booze he was going to drink.

Something was wrong though, because Tony was actually the first one to arrive. Wow, all these years of practice. Showing up late for family meetings, showing up late for exams, showing up late for a scolding of his high school headmaster, because he was always being late. All these sorts of things. Now he was sitting at this table, fucking 15 minutes early.

If that wasn’t a sign of how much Tony loathed his fucking job.

Tony was sipping on some delicious Chardonnay when he spotted a beautiful redhead coming towards his table. Okay, maybe he had been wrong about business meetings.

“Mr. Stark, pleasure to meet you. I’m Virginia Potts.”

She was business from head to toe. Dressed impeccably in a blue coat and skirt, her hair was pulled back in a bun, looking a bit strict. Trying to make a serious impression and definitely succeeding. Her smile was charming, but her entire demeanour promised that she would be able and willing to kick ass if necessary. Perhaps Tony was going to have some fun after all.

“Well hello. I was planning on making this very hard on you, but now that you’re here, I might give you everything you want.”

In response she quirked an eyebrow at him, but that was all. No confusion, no shock. Quickly adapting to the new situation. Tony liked that.

“You should not make an offer like that, because I will not shy away from taking advantage of it.”

If she wanted to talk business, Tony could do that. His way. “I like being taken advantage of. Sit down, have a glass of wine. It’s good.”

Miss Potts sat down and Tony gave the waiter a sign. “So… I have a proposal to make. Instead of going back and forth on the numbers… about how much money you want to spend, how much you want to buy… how about we just skip that, have a nice lunch and I agree with everything you say.“

“That wouldn’t be a smart move on your part, Mr. Stark.”

“Yeah, but it’d be way more fun.”

There was a short moment of hesitation and Tony watched her face carefully. She was trying to figure him out. If he was just playing a game while being a shark in disguise. Also she was trying to find out whether she liked his attitude or she thought it was obnoxious.

“I’m wondering if you would be negotiating the same way if you were here for Stark Industries.” She was lifting her glass to her lips, her eyes never leaving him and she started to remind Tony of Natasha. Not quite as distant or dangerous, but there was no doubt about her intelligence.

Leaning back in his chair Tony gave her his sweetest smile. “Miss Potts, believe me, if I were here on behalf of Stark Industries, I would be paying you to sell you stuff.”

By now she had made up your mind and Tony was sure that the odds were in his favour. “As you for sure know, Mr. Stark, we’re not supposed to come to an agreement today. Rather to find out if Borrson Corporation has to offer what my boss is interested in. So…why don’t you tell me what you have to offer, Mr. Stark?” Her smile was challenging and yet she nailed it to sound completely serious.

“Oh, don’t get me started on that. I might never shut up again. Also, I’m Tony. Mr. Stark is some other guy and I don’t like him all that much. Okay, let’s get down to business. Borrson Corp is going to screw you over or at least they’re going to try. I’m just the first one to show up to make you think it’s going to be an easy deal. You know I’m quite a charmer. Anyway… we’re supposed to have a nice chitchat, but next time you’re going to meet the big guy’s son. He’s not half as smart as he think he is. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to handle him. Just through some numbers at him and he’ll be utterly confused.”

Finally, Tony had succeeded in making her chuckle. “I have had the pleasure to meet Thor Odinson before. He lives up to his reputation. Just like you.”

Tony grinned and acted clueless. “What do people say about me?”

“That you don’t play by the rules and are always acting most unorthodox. Two things that I’m not very fond of.”

“You must be very bored then most of the time.”

“Not at all, I’m just taking my work seriously.”

“And when you’re not working?”

She took her time to answer, taking a sip from her wine and she finally smiled at him. Honestly, not like 90% of these douchebags because they only put up with him, because of his father. “I am always working, Tony.”

 ***

Whistling a soft Tony stepped out of the elevator and pulled out his bunch of keys. It took him a few seconds to find the one he was looking for. Balancing the box with the apple pie on one hand Tony unlocked the door and entered the apartment. Kicking it shut with his foot Tony took a look around, but his best friend clearly wasn’t in the living room. “Steve! I brought apple pie! Come here!”

There was no answer and Tony wondered for a second if Steve wasn’t at home at all. Yes, he should have called before showing up, but the restaurant was close to Steve’s place, so he’d decided to drop by and bring Steve his crack. Also called apple pie.

Walking further into the living room Tony could make out the sound of the shower running. Ah, good, so Steve was at home. Placing the box on the couch table Tony made himself comfortable on the couch and propped his feet up. For a second, then he quickly took his shoes off or Steve would kill him. Waiting for Steve Tony checked his emails on his phone and was glad that it was all uneventful stuff. When he was done with that he started doing quizzes and was once again startled by his lack of knowledge. Maybe it was time to read a book.

_Rozencrantz and Gildenstern are characters in which Shakespeare play?_

How was Tony supposed to know that? He was reading comic books, not Shakespeare. Couldn’t they ask about the secret identity of Batman? Tony would be able to answer that.

Hearing the sound of a door being opened Tony looked up. As far as he knew Steve didn’t read plays either, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Hey, Steve, do you…”

That work of human physical perfection that was working through the door now wasn’t Steve though. Bucky must like his showers hot. Tony could tell by the slight red tone of his skin. A lot of skin. Naturally, he was coming out of the shower, only wearing a towel, wrapped around his hips. Tony didn’t know how this was making him feel. Happy because Bucky was quite a feast for the eyes? Trained muscles, a flat stomach, not a single trace of body fat and that long, brown hair sticking to his face. Or was Tony feeling completely out of shape? Maybe a mixture of both.

“What the…” It was almost comedic to see Bucky jump when he spotted Tony. His eyes went wide and he blinked before recognizing Tony and calming down. For some reason Bucky still didn’t look delighted to see Tony. Not really angry, but perhaps a little bit upset. A little bit.

“What? How did you get in here?”

Instead of answering Tony smirked and demonstratively dangled his keys.

Bucky frowned, cocked his head and drops of water were dripping from his hair. “You’ve got a key?” He sounded genuinely taken aback as if he wouldn’t even have considered this possible.

“Yap. I’ve had it for ages.”

“Okay…” Bucky mumbled, still eyeing Tony like he was a guy in a yoga class. He clearly wasn’t supposed to be here. “And… why are you here?”

“I had a business meeting just around the corner and the place had some amazing apple pie. So I brought some.”

The frown on Bucky’s face told Tony that he didn’t get it. Seriously, what kind of relationship did you have when you didn’t know that your boyfriend was suffering from a really tough addiction? Since Steve was such a boy scout, it was an addiction to something as mundane as apple pie. Okay, they haven’t been dating that long. Perhaps it hadn’t come up yet. “Piece of advice out of the rulebook on how to deal with Steve Rogers – apple pie is the solution to every problem. It’s by far his favourite food. Hell, he loves this stuff so much they should name it Steve Rogers pie… Now that sounds like somebody killed Steve and made pie out of him. Which would be horrible… maybe delicious… No, that’s just wrong. Anyway, apple pie and Steve, true love. Me and your new outfit, also true love by the way.”

Bucky looked down at himself and seemingly only now realised that he was coming out of the shower. “Right. Give me a minute.”

“Sure.” Tony didn’t even ask if Steve was at home, since it obviously wasn’t the case. Kind of weird, Tony had never hung out alone with Bucky before. Especially not half naked. Was that weird? Nah, Bucky was looking great only wearing a towel.

In record time Bucky was back, now clad in a red T-shirt and dark jeans. His hair was still wet, but who cared about that? “Thanks for the pie, but Steve isn’t here.”

“Yeah, I guessed as much. What is he up to?”

“Getting a check-up on his car. You should have called.”

Tony knew that his social skills weren’t the best, but this situation was rather easy to read. Bucky evidently hadn’t planned to spend the late afternoon with Tony and vice-versa. They also couldn’t eat the pie, it was meant for Steve. “Okay, I’ll be going then. Tell Steve I said hi and good Lord, stop working on these abs. You’re making me feel like the chubby nerd kid in High school.”

Now Bucky actually cracked a smile. All men were the same, compliment their abs and they’re happy. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Listen, how about you guys come over this weekend and we have a Terminator marathon or something like that… you’re in?”

“Sounds nice. I’ll ask Steve.”

“Cool. I’m off then.” Smiling amusedly Tony left, patting himself mentally on the shoulder. That had been a nice visit. He had scared the shit out of Bucky and had seen a body that people would love to draw picture of. Titanic style. Yep, a good day.

 ***

“Well, hello there. Does somebody have a hangover?” Probably for the first time ever Tony came to work in a really good mood. It was a bit mean, but he couldn’t resist pointing out the fact that Natasha had been swallowing two aspirin when Tony had come around the corner. Now she was glaring daggers at him. “No, I’m not. I have a terrible headache and a sore throat.”

Tony opened his mouth, but with another glare she made sure that he would die if he said another word. “I’ve been yelling at Clint all night, because he is an idiot. That’s all. Talking about idiots. Borrson has already called in. He wants to talk to you about the meeting yesterday.”

And there was Tony’s good mood. Sailing off, far, far away, to the horizon. “He said anything in particular.”

“No, he wants you to call him as soon as you’re here.”

“Right… do me a favour, call him in 15 minutes. Or he’ll get the wrong impression… like I’m being punctual or some shit.”

For a second Natasha grinned at him, but instantly stopped and rubbed her temples. “Damn, I’ll kill this idiot for giving me a headache.”

Poor guy, Tony wouldn’t want to be the guy to piss her off. Headache or not exactly 15 minutes later Natasha called Borrson and patched him through to Tony.

“Good morning, Tony.”

Hmm, didn’t sound like Tony was going to get his head ripped of.

“Morning, Odin. What can I do for you on this lovely morning?”

Borrson had a chuckle over that. “Yesterday evening I got a call from GPR Enterprises. After your appointment with Miss Potts yesterday they are interested in doing business with us. They’re still in negotiations with other companies, but there is good chance that they’ll choose us. Good job you did there. You left quite an impression.”

Of course… Tony hadn’t said a word about business, but he had been flirting. He’d be damned if that didn’t get them the job. “Glad to hear that.”

“How about we go to lunch to together and you tell me how it went?”

Tony would rather make love to a cactus… “Sure, but I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

“You won’t. See you at lunch then.”

Great, so lunchtime was ruined.

Tony got to work over the stupid files, reading, signing and that all day long. Or the next 10 minutes. Then his phone rang. “Steve, hey. Trying to brighten up my day?”

Hearing Steve’s voice always had a relaxing effect, because he was always so calm. “It’s half past nine in the morning. How can it already be a bad day?”

“I got complimented on my work. That smells like trouble.”

“Don’t always be such a pessimist, Tony. Anyway I wanted to thank you for the apple pie. It was delicious.”

“It was my pleasure. I’ve a lot of fun scaring the shit out of Bucky…” Leaning back in his chair Tony marvelled at the memory, but Steve’s sigh pulled him out off it. “Yeah… uhm… I wanted to talk about that with you anyway.”

Tony frowned and he definitely didn’t like the tone of Steve’s voice. This short hesitation before he was delivering bad news. “Yeah? Is he scared that he lost some of his abs, because I was staring at them too intently?”

“No, he was… a bit surprised to find out that you have a key to my apartment.”

“Yeah, but I told him… I guess it was a slight unfortunate situation, but I don’t see a problem.”

Steve made that sound and Tony knew that he was biting his lip. “There is no problem, but I guess… uhm… it’d be nice if you could ring the doorbell first and only use the key for emergencies…”

“What emergencies? When you aren’t home and I take some te-… guy to your place to fuck them?”

“Tony!” Steve groaned in frustration. “You gotta know what I mean. I don’t care if you use your key to enter, but it’s different now that I’m in a relationship. It would be weird to have you strolling in while… Bucky is in the shower… or we’re doing something else.”

Now it was impossible to keep the grin off his face. “Really? Why don’t you just say that you’re worried about me walking in on you guys having sex?”

“Because that’s not the only thing… but yeah. You understand that, don’t you?”

Oh, Tony understood the situation perfectly. Bucky had complained about Tony having or using the key. The relationship excuse was bullshit. Steve had been dating before and there had never been talk about Tony not using his key. Okay, so Tony would ring the doorbell like a good little boy. “Sure, I won’t let myself in anymore.”

The next couple of seconds were filled with silence and then Steve was mumbling through his teeth. “Uhm… You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, it’s your apartment and you guys can have all the privacy you want. I guess I have to get used to you being in a relationship again. I’m still single, so you can walk around my apartment all you want.”

Steve laughed softly at that and it made Tony feel a little bit better. Only then he realised that the whole thing was indeed upsetting him. “I didn’t just drop by because of the apple pie. I wanted to tell you something.”

“Yeah? I’m listening.”

Tony opened his mouth to tell about Loki’s little email escapade. “I had a business meeting with a gorgeous woman yesterday. I think I’m going to ask her out.”

“Really? That’s great. Why that sudden change of heart?”

“She’s hot. No further explanation needed.”

Again Steve laughed. “You gotta tell me everything about it when you’ll have met her. I won’t keep you from working any longer.”

“Working… ha. I’ll call you tonight and give you some details. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Hanging up the phone Tony felt a bitter taste filling his mouth. He shrugged it off and continued to work. The rest of the noon passed without any other major events and then he went to another dreadful lunch with Borrson. The only good thing about it was that Tony got indeed complimented for his performance during the business meeting. Almost as if he was a little schoolboy. Fuck him.

Back in his office Tony put his feet on his desk and went through the latest report of the development department. Reading it was fairly exciting, what would Tony give to be one writing this report. Instead of sitting here and reading it.

There was a knock on the door and Tony decided that he was too pissed off now to put his feet off the table for whoever that was. “Yeah?”

His day just wasn’t getting any better.

“Hello, Mr. Stark.”

Loki was entering the room as if he owned the place. Wearing a smile on his lips and he shut the door behind him and Tony wanted to yell at him to let it open. “What are you doing here?”

“Odin wants me to get to know every division of the company. Today I was accompanying Doctor Banner. He was about to send out some files for you to look over. I offered to bring them here personally.” With a bright smile he held out the file in his hand and Tony didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or throw the kid out of the fucking window.

“Thank you. Put them on the table and leave.”

Tony did his best to not even look at the kid while Loki was walking up to his desk. The kid was only trying to provoke him, if he ignored him, Loki would probably lose interest. “Anything else I can do for you, Mr. Stark?”

It took all of his willpower to stop himself from biting his lip. Where was that Mr. Stark coming from? And Loki used his lovely voice to make it sound so sinful. So much about provoking him. Raising his eyes Tony saw Loki standing in front of the desk, still smiling on him. What? Did that little shit think that calling him ‘Mr. Stark’ was turning Tony on? No, it wasn’t… not really.

“Yes, you could leave. I would appreciate that.”

Loki didn’t move a muscle. “Why do I have the feeling that you want to get rid of me?”

“Because that’s exactly the case. This is my office. I want you to leave now.”

An amused chuckle left Loki’s lips. “No, you don’t. I am very attentive, Mr. Stark. I am very aware of the way you look at me and you know that there are more exciting things I could do for you than bringing you files…”

Tony forced himself to not look at that pretty mouth and to not think about his little fantasy revolving around said mouth. How could a 15 year old be so fucking confident? Right now Tony wouldn’t be surprised if Loki actually read his thoughts. He needed to get him out of here. “Why are you still here?”

“You look so stressed… I could help you relax…”

That was it. Tony just snapped. “You have quite a nerve. Drop that stupid act and get the fuck out off my office.”

The smile faded away, but Tony hadn’t succeeding in putting him off, because Loki merely started to grin. “Fine… I was bored out of my mind the whole day, listening to lectures that I’m not interested in. Then there was talk about you getting these files and I got finally excited. I wouldn’t let anyone else bring them here, when the only thing I could think about was coming up here and sucking your cock.”

A shiver was running down Tony’s spine and of course Loki noticed it. Out. Out. He needed the kid to get out. Not standing there and looking beautiful in Tony’s fucking office. With Natasha right out there. Perfectly aware of Loki’s presence.

“Now listen you little…” Tony got interrupted by his phone and he had to be caught up in a fucking nightmare. Right in front of him his one night stand that turned out to be the son of his boss and fucking 15 years old. On the phone Howard and it felt like the phone was yelling at him. Sighing in frustration Tony answered the call. “Yeah?”

Loki was raising an eyebrow, like he couldn’t believe that Tony would rather have a conversation on the phone than telling him to fuck off.

“Tony, I’ve had a conversation with Odin.”

No hello, whatever. “So?”

“From what I’ve heard you did a nice job negotiating a business deal. I have to admit I was quite surprised to hear that. Especially since I advised him against giving you this task.” The same patronizing tone as usual. The same Tony has been hearing since he was 12 years old. Howard probably still thought he was talking to a little kid.

“Of course you did. Unbelievable that I didn’t fuck up once, right?”

Howard had the audacity to laugh. “A pleasant surprise indeed. I am glad that you seem to have finally come to your senses. It was about time that you realise what’s important and what’s just a waste of time. I hope you continue like this and start living up to the name you’re bearing.”

Every little word felt like a fist rammed straight into his stomach. All the things that Tony hated. That arrogance, the talk about names and legacy. Most of all he felt disgusted with the fact that Howard thought that Tony had given in. Finally playing nice and be the son Howard wanted but had never had.

And was never going to have…

That dirt bag didn’t even give him the chance to hang up first.

Tony was left sitting there with his phone in his hand and Howard was fucking happy, because he thought he had beaten Tony into shape. Fuck him.

Putting the phone on the table Tony locked eyes with Loki and his anger just overwhelmed him, releasing itself in a loud “Fuck off!”

The kid was startled and the cocky façade crumbled and vanished within a second. Now he just blinked and his green eyes were almost naturally wide. Then Loki just turned around and walked towards the door.

Tony clenched in his hand into a fist, he wanted to tear something apart. To call Howard back and to tell him that Tony hadn’t given in. That he was anything but the obedient son he wished for. His life had always been dictated by Howard, would be dictated by him as long as Howard was around, but Tony was still going to do whatever the fuck he wanted. Whether Howard liked it or not. No matter if it was appropriate, stupid or downright irresponsible. Tony could make whatever fuck-up life choice he wanted.

He had never been out of his chair quicker.

Loki let out a yelp when he was yanked back and pressed up against the wall next to the door. Tony silenced him by crashing his mouth on Loki’s, brutally kissing him, while fisting his hand in Loki’s hair to keep his head in place. That mouth still tasted as lovely as the first time. Not giving him a second to catch up with him Tony simply ravished that mouth, pressing his body against Loki’s. Finally the kid started opening up, hesitantly placing his hands on Tony’s waist.

A single touch that obviously didn’t make it to hide Loki’s age.

Fuck, what was Tony doing here?

Abruptly backing off Tony stared at Loki. Slightly red lips, big green eyes that were gazing at him and he was breathing just a little bit too fast. Tony could lie to himself that long, he wanted that kid. He was looking at a clearly overwhelmed 15 year old and all Tony wanted to do was to push him up against the wall, have those long legs around his waist and fuck him hard.

Turning around Tony yanked the door open. “Thank you for the files.”

Loki’s eyes didn’t leave him. Taking a shaky breath Loki brushed his hair back and then finally walked past Tony, leaving the office. After shutting the door Tony leaned back against it and ran a hand down his face. Trying to not lick his lips to taste the kid again.

Tony was so fucked.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> it's been a while :)  
> We are back and Tony does something really, really, really stupid... 
> 
> Have fun :)

Tony desperately wanted to talk to Steve. This was something he needed to talk about and he needed to talk about it with Steve. Until now Tony had been relied on the fact that Loki would keep his mouth shut. Good chance that Loki would now change his mind, Tony hadn’t acted too smartly today.

The vodka burned its way down Tony’s throat, but it didn’t make him feel any better. Talking to Steve would make him feel better. Therefore Tony tried to call him for the fifth time, but again, nobody answered the damned phone.

“Probably too busy fucking Barnes now that I can’t walk in on them…” Rolling his eyes Tony took another shot of vodka and wished for a way to stop his self-loathing. This was so wrong. Who was so stupid to fuck a 15 year-old in the first place?

Tony, obviously.

Why couldn’t his life be normal? Yeah, because of his fucking surname. Everything would have worked out differently if he had another father. Or if Howard was less of an asshole. Tony had done quite a good job at ignoring Loki until Howard had called and…

No matter how hard he tried, Howard was always getting to him with just a few words. Wasn’t there some point in his life where he’d stop caring? Hopefully it’d be tomorrow. Or right now.

Sitting down on the couch Tony put the bottle of vodka away. He wasn’t going to become an alcoholic because of his daddy issues. Over the next half hour Tony turned the TV on, tried to read a comic, to listen to ACDC while watching at the same time, but it was pretty much in vain. Anger wouldn’t even let him keep sitting for long, instead he was pacing around the room.

A soccer game was playing on television and Tony just wished that they would all kill each other. It wasn’t as brutal as rugby, but every now and then somebody was rolling on the floor, almost crying. Tony hoped it hurt.

His hopes instantly shot through the roof when the doorbell was ringing. Maybe Steve had seen that he had tried to call him and now he was coming over. Yes, he had done that before. Rushing over to the door Tony ripped it open and a feeling of dread settled in his stomach. This couldn’t be true.

“Hey, can I come in?”

One hundred thoughts were running through Tony’s head. How did the kid know where he lived? Okay, internet. What was he doing here? Making trouble. Did his family know that he was out… after 11 o’clock? How was Tony going to get him to leave? And why wasn’t he wearing that smirk? Had Tony managed to humble him a little bit?

“No.” Tony tried to close the door, but Loki put his hand up against it. “I think a conversation is in order.”

Judging by the look on his face Tony almost thought that he was serious. Unfortunately he knew better. “Oh, come on… you don’t want to talk.”

“Only one way to find out. Now will you let me in where we can talk without you being scared that somebody might walk in at any second?”

Tony’s sanity was screaming at him to not let him in. To tell him to go away and to slam the door in his face. Yet Loki was right. This was the only opportunity to set some things straight. There was no guarantee that the kid wouldn’t try to pounce on him, but it wasn’t like Tony could easily throw him out if he tried. Also… Who was Tony to judge? Not after that stupid kiss today.

This was a bad idea and Tony was going to regret this. “Fine, but I'll kick you out the second you…”

“Yeah, yeah…” Loki walked past him and Tony closed the door behind him. Wasn’t this ironic? He had done pretty much everything to keep Loki out of his apartment and now he was here anyway. Standing in the middle of his living room, taking his black coat off. Black jeans, a dark green sweater and looking gorgeous.

Loki took a look around before placing his coat on Tony’s couch. “This is a nice place.”

“Thank you.” Tony stayed where he was, not getting a step closer to Loki. Crossing his arms in front of his chest Tony cleared his throat. “You wanted to talk. Talk. I’m listening.”

Only now a little smile was appearing on Loki’s face. Smaller than usual and not quite as cheeky. “You need to stop freaking out. I meant what I said. I’m not going to tell anyone that you fucked me. I have no interest at all in getting you into trouble. Around you I’m not going to act like it never happened. It did happen and it was great.”

Those were good news. No prison charges. Awesome.

“Cool. It would also be great if you stopped putting me into these horrible situations. I want to make something very clear. I got very upset about the phone call I received today. That’s the only reason why I… kissed you. That’s all and it’s not going to happen again. Did you get that?”

“Yeah, I did get that, but I disagree.”

“What?”

Loki must have gotten more confident during the conversation, because now the smirk was back. “My offer still stands and you want to take it. So why don’t you get over whatever qualms you’ve developed since the first time we met, get comfortable and I suck you off.”

God lord! Tony has had a good share of lovers, but none of them had ever been that willing to suck his cock. Downright begging.

Huffing in frustration Tony hoped that Loki would get the point and that he wouldn’t realise that the prospect of that mouth wrapped around his cock was speeding up Tony’s heartbeat. No, he wouldn’t be that stupid.

“Listen, what is wrong with you? I don’t get it! We both walked happily away from each other! If you want to give somebody a blowjob just go to a bar as you’ve did before. It worked out for you, didn’t it? You’re beautiful, hundreds of guys would love to get sucked off by you. Just ask somebody else! Somebody in fucking Highschool would be a good idea.”

Maybe Tony need to let a doctor check his eyes, because Loki actually rolled his eyes. “I guess I haven’t been clear enough on that. I don’t want to suck somebody’s cock. I want to suck yours and if you start to deny that you want me to, you’ll just make a fool of yourself.”

Damn, he was right. How was Tony supposed to make the kid believe that he didn’t want him after the kiss today or… the fact that he had already taken him home once. Or to Steve’s place. The physical attraction was undeniable, just like the fact that this cocky attitude annoyed Tony as much as it turned him on. “You’ve already had your chance. You didn’t do it then.”

“I didn’t know who you were back then.”

What had this to do with anything? “What the hell? What do you care about that?”

Loki took a step in Tony’s direction, but stopped when Tony indicated him to. He still seemed amused by the large distance between them. “Seriously? Okay… I didn’t think I would have to justify that I want to have sex with you… Plain and simple. I hate Odin, I despise that old man and Odin hates your father, he also hates you. With a passion if I might add. Now imagine his own son on his knees to suck your cock. He wouldn’t know it, but I would… and I want you for the same reason I left the bar with you. You’re hot.”

The explanation made Tony’s head turn. A rich kid hating his dad, wanted to do anything to upset him. Reckless and uncaring of potential consequences. Was that story even true? Or did he know how to push Tony’s buttons? All of them at once. No, Loki definitely didn’t like his father, Tony knew as much and he couldn’t even scowl Loki for his motives, because… they felt so familiar.

While Tony was still trying to process this Loki was again coming closer. Time to throw him out. Thank you for your offer, find someone else, good night. Tony could jerk off to it later on. Or let the kid suck him off. It would be wrong, asking for trouble, but Tony had been doing that his whole life. What difference did it make anyway? He had already fucked Loki weeks ago…

That mouth would look beautiful around his cock. Loki would get what he wanted and afterwards Tony wouldn’t have to worry about him coming on to him anymore. How long was he going to continue to make up excuses in his head, when he simply wanted to shove his cock into that filthy mouth?

Standing in front of him Loki reached out slowly, not so sure that Tony would let him do this. Tony’s heart was racing and just looking at the eager kid made his body tingling with excitement. Lust and need got the better of him, but that wasn’t the first time. Taking control of the situation Tony grabbed Loki’s arm, pulling the surprised kid towards him. With his lips against Loki’s ear Tony murmured “You win. You’re going to suck me off. Right here, right now and you better don’t disappoint.” Tony didn’t miss how Loki held his breath for a second and couldn’t help but feel smug. Taking a hold of Loki’s hand Tony placed it on his belt. “Come on… or were you just talking?”

Two seconds passed before Loki’s second hand joined the other one and Loki tilted his head to kiss Tony. Passionate and greedy, just like Tony wanted it. The hands which were working his belt open weren’t moving with quite as much finesse, but Tony didn’t give a shit. Dominating the kiss Tony put his hand in the back of Loki’s neck and squeezed, urging him to speed up. By now his belt was open, Loki’s fingers made quick work with the button and fly with of Tony’s jeans. No further encouragement needed, Loki dropped to his knees and Tony’s breath got caught at the sight.

Hands slipped into Tony’s jeans, tugging them down along with his shorts. Tony let out a soft sigh when his erection was pulled free and that mouth was already so close. Unfortunately Loki didn’t do anything. Having Tony’s cock right in front of him, he didn’t even move. Growling Tony slid his fingers into the black hair and pulled Loki’s head forward until his lips were touching the head of his cock. “Come on, open up.”

He didn’t, not instantly and Tony played the thought of just shoving inside. Eventually he didn’t have to, because Loki slightly parted his lips and wrapped them around the tip of his cock. The pleasure instantly spread across Tony’s body, it just happened so rarely that fantasies came true. Staring down at him Tony watched how Loki slowly let more of him slip into his mouth. He definitely wasn’t in a rush, stopping again to let his tongue run across Tony’s cock. What Tony first thought to be teasing turned out to be inexperience, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Loki wasn’t too overly enthusiastic to make up for it and Tony was thankful for that. It actually was quite a turn-on that Loki hadn’t come around that much, but so wantonly did this for Tony.

That clever tongue swirled around the tip of his cock and Tony fought to not tighten his hand in Loki’s hair. He was feeling lightheaded, his body tingling and the feeling was exquisite. It just wasn’t enough. For now he let Loki do as he pleased, but his fingers were aching to pull him down on his cock completely. Unfortunately Loki stopped moving forward and experimented with caressing his tongue along Tony’s shaft.

Yeah, that was good, but not nearly enough. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to give him some instructions. Tony was surprised to find out that his voice resembled a hoarse growl. “Come on, use your hands…”

Like a good boy Loki brought his hands up to Tony’s thighs, then closing his fingers around the part of Tony’s cock that wasn’t in his mouth. Definitely better. Tony let his head fall back and savoured the sensation of that hot, new mouth around him and Loki’s successful attempts to find out how to please him. The kid was good, nice basics, but still needed to learn a few tricks. Tony was loving it anyway, the one thing that was turning him on the most was the fact that it was Loki on his knees in front of him.

The soft hair was running through his fingers while Loki bobbed his head and Tony moaned quietly in pleasure. “Yes, keep doing that…” Loki didn’t take much of him, but he had quickly figured out to cover the rest of Tony’s cock with his hand and move it in perfect synch with his head.

Despite wanting more Tony let Loki do as he pleased, slowly getting him more excited, working his cock nicely. Closing his eyes Tony enjoyed the heat, patted Loki’s hair, murmuring soft encouragements. Thankfully he already knew that he was definitely going to hell for some other things he had done, but this made sure of it. Till now it was worth it. So good.

For another minute or two Tony let Loki set the pace until he needed more. By now he was throbbing with need and the kid wasn’t by far the filthy slut he had imagined. Tony knew what he wanted and he didn’t shy away to take it. Tightening his grip on Loki’s hair Tony stilled his head. Loki’s eyes instantly stared up at him in confusion, but Tony wasn’t interested in giving him an answer, he wanted to come. Taking control Tony pulled back and then slowly slid his cock back into that hot mouth, a little bit further than Loki had let him until now. He could hear Loki loudly breathing in through his nose, sounding troubled. Although he wasn’t stopping to leisurely thrust into his mouth Tony tried to calm him down. The last thing he needed was Loki to become nervous. “Just relax…”

Loki obviously tried to, his hands now loosely resting on Tony’s hips. When Tony heard Loki’s breathing calming down again he thrust a little deeper, getting more of his cock inside of that lovely mouth every single time. So nice and hot.

“Hollow your cheeks…” Tony cracked out the words between his staggered breaths. Loki did what Tony told him to and he almost lost his mind from the increased pleasure. The tightness, the soft walls of the insides of Loki’s cheeks grazing against his cock. “Fuck so good…”

Tony’s skin was burning, the pressure was building and he was getting completely caught up in his pleasure. His hips sped up his thrusts, going almost all the way now. God, he wanted Loki to take him entirely. He wanted to come down his throat.

A sudden, light pain pulled Tony from the haze. Loki had buried his fingernails in his thighs. Looking down Tony could see that those green eyes seemed teary and he realised that he got carried away. Pulling out Tony gave him a second to breathe before sliding his cock back between Loki’s lips, slower this time. He established a new pattern of thrusts, lazily going exactly as far as Loki could take him.

When he felt his climax approaching Tony didn’t hold back. “I’m going to come… I want you to swallow…”

Groaning loudly Tony came in Loki’s mouth, savouring the incredible sensation of his intense orgasm. He could feel Loki swallowing around him and it was the filthiest thing Tony had ever imagined. Breathing hard Tony pulled out and leaned back against the door behind him. Amazing…

Still on his knees Loki coughed heavily before brushing the back of his hand over his mouth. Smugness joined the satisfaction Tony was feeling. All the kid had probably ever done was sucking off some teenage boy who had been so excited that he had come as soon as Loki’s mouth had touched his cock. Giving a man a blowjob was something entirely different.

_Born in the USA…_

The ringtone tore the silence apart and Tony’s high from the orgasm faded so quickly away, he wasn’t even sure if it had ever been there. Well, fuck you, Steve! If you had called 15 minutes earlier Tony wouldn’t have done… the one thing he promised not to do again, because it was wrong. Not to mention illegal. Damn, Tony had let that kid blow him. The kid who was still on his knees, massaging his jaw, because he was fucking 15 years old and not used to sucking cock. He wasn’t supposed to…

Well, damage had been done and he had tried long enough to keep the kid from jumping him… Great excuse, really…

Steve was going to kill him.

After seemingly endless seconds the ringing subsided and Tony quickly tugged himself back into his jeans, suddenly feeling slightly ashamed. He wanted Loki immediately out of his apartment, but his conscience told him that he couldn’t do that. Tony needed a drink. Walking over to his own private bar Tony poured himself a glass of wine.

“Can I have one too?”

“You are 15, you don’t get a drink.”

Loki opened his mouth to give a probably cocky and obnoxious response, but Tony glared at him to shut him up. He poured him a glass of water and handed it to Loki. Again the kid raised an eyebrow, but then he took a sip. “I enjoyed doing that very much…”

There wasn’t the slightest bit of surprise in his voice and he met Tony’s eyes without hesitation. That was enough for Tony to down his glass of Chardonnay. “Glad you did. You’re content now?”

“Depends. Are you?”

“What? You want some compliments on your cocksucking skills? It was good, it was hot. You got what you wanted, I got off. You’re going to stop now giving me those looks and stop flirting with me?”

That smile was going to kill Tony. “Don’t act as if you just made a huge sacrifice. But right, I said I would. I can play nice.”

“Somehow I have trouble believing that.” It crossed Tony’s mind to ask Loki why he was doing all of that. Hanging around in bars, sleeping with men twice his age and eager to suck the cock of a guy his father couldn’t stand. Smart kids weren’t acting like that and Loki didn’t seem stupid. Then again, Tony was an expert in fucking up his life and he had been a child prodigy.

Loki was drinking up half his water and smiled cheekily at Tony. About time to get him out of there. Tony’s conscience was already catching up with him and he knew Steve well enough. That definitely hadn’t been the last time he called. “It’s late… curfew… I gotta work tomorrow and I’m sure you also have stuff to do.”

“Yeah, I’m leaving. Don’t worry.” Smirking softly Loki walked around the bar, coming dangerously close to him again. Tony didn’t back away. He was the adult and he wasn’t intimidated by a kid. No matter how sexy Loki could move his hips. Gorgeous…

Moving against him Loki brushed his lips over Tony’s cheek, followed by a soft whisper. “Don’t I get a kiss goodbye if our little tryst ends here?”

Sinful. Everything about him. A walking temptation. Beautiful. Tony had already committed the major stupidity of the night, so there was no point in acting coy now. Sliding his arm loosely around Loki’s waist Tony tilted his head and kissed the kid. Not rushed, but passionate like a kiss goodbye was supposed to. Loki’s hand slid into his hair, he opened up and his tongue touched Tony’s. Trying not to sigh into that perfect mouth Tony pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Those lips were tasting so sweet and Loki just knew how to pull back and give in. Utterly amazing. Tony loved the way he kissed and how he felt against him. Teeth were grazing over his lower lip and Loki placed his other hand in the back of Tony’s neck. It had been a while that Tony had enjoyed a kiss this much. So good that he almost stopped being bothered by his incredible attraction to a teenager. Loki had never even cared about that and he wouldn’t start now that was for sure. Breaking the kiss Loki didn’t move away, his mouth still brushing over Tony’s, he was humming contently. The sound caused a shiver to run down Tony’s spine. “How about you fuck me goodbye?”

Feeling that gorgeous body against him Tony didn’t want anything more than lifting him on the counter and fuck him right here. Thank god for that amazing blowjob, that had cleared his head a little bit and Tony wasn’t a damned teenager that could get it up five times in twenty minutes. Definitely time to call a taxi. “How about you find yourself a guy about your age to take care of that? Come on, I’ll call you a taxi.”

To his great relief Loki backed off, without further comment. Still a smile on his lips. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony did as he had told him and the taxi agency told him that a car would arrive in five minutes. “Do you want me to bring you downstairs?”

“Nah, thank you, I’ve found my way up here. I won’t get lost in the elevator. Bye.”

Loki was walking to the door and Tony remembered a question he had wanted to ask. As soon as Loki was out of this door Tony would pretend that all this stuff had never happened, so now was the only chance. “Uhm… Loki… Why Apollo? Why replacing a god with another one?”

The kid stopped smiling and Tony thought that he had said something bad. Then Loki just shrugged. “I was named after a god, just not the one I would have chosen.”

Not the most informative answer, but Tony didn’t get more. Loki left and Tony released a long breath. Yes, he should feel bad for what he had done, but the damage was done and Tony wouldn’t beat himself up for getting his cock sucked by a person who wanted to do it and clearly already had some sexual experience…

… and was Borrson’s son.

Fuck, Tony really didn’t learn anything from his mistakes. Ever. How many years of prison did he just add to his sentence? Probation was fading away into distance… Nah, Tony had all the money in the world, didn’t matter. What did matter was Steve and how disappointed he’d be.

Please, stop sleeping with minors.

That wasn’t too much to ask for, right? After another glass of Chardonnay Tony decided that it was enough. Everybody could get a grip, why not Tony? He would make a to-do list. Step by step.

  1. No more sleeping with Loki or other people who were under 18… better raise that number to 25. Just to be sure. Also no blowjobs, kissing or touching in any kind of way.
  2. Less drinking… that would be tough…
  3. Call that beautiful Miss Potts and ask her out. It’s probably not going to work out, but it would at least be a try to have normal date.
  4. Stop disappointing Steve…



Sighing Tony reached for the Chardonnay but luckily he remembered point 2 and instantly walked away from the bar. Dropping onto the couch Tony turned on the television, watching two minutes of some political drama until his phone started to ring.

_Born in the USA…_

Yep, he really needed to change that ringtone, now it was forever tied to that blowjob…

“Hey, Steve-O. What’s going on?”

“What’s going on? I’m asking what’s going on. You tried to call five times. Is everything alright?” Steve sounded slightly worried and Tony felt like shit. What was he supposed to say now? I tried to call you, because I kissed Loki. Then you wouldn’t answer the phone, so I let him suck my dick. What do you say in your defence?

“Nah… I hate Howard… that’s all.”

Silence for a second, then Steve cleared his throat. “What happened, Tony?”

“Look, I shouldn’t have called you. It’s late and I don’t have a real problem anyway. So just forget about it, okay. I had a conversation with Howard. It sucked. The usual. What are you doing?”

When Steve didn’t answer directly Tony knew that he was thinking about asking further questions. His gratefulness was without limits when he didn’t. “Bucky and I were out having dinner and then we were at the movies. You won’t believe what happened.”

Normal conversation, good, finally. Closing his eyes Tony leaned back, relaxing to the sound of Steve’s voice. “Can’t be a better story than what happened to us when we were watching No Country for old men.”

It wasn’t possible to not smirk while talking about that night.

“I believe it is.”

“What can be better than witnessing a couple screaming and yelling at each other while Javier Bardem kills people on screen? Don’t you remember how they ended up almost jumping on each other? They almost started fucking right next to us!”

Tony would never forget Steve’s face. Crimson red even in complete darkness.

“Yeah, I remember Tony, thank you. Though I’m still pretty sure that what happened today takes the cake.”

“I’m listening.”

“There was a couple sitting in front of us and they wouldn’t stop talking. The girl was in a pissy mood… Can you believe that? Being in a pissy mood when you’re watching Star Wars? Anyway, it turned out she was so angry, because he had been texting with his ex. He wanted her to shut her mouth, because he was a considerate person and they were in a movie theatre. She wouldn’t shut up though and kept whining that she had to watch a horrible movie and he was a jerk for texting with his ex. Jerk wasn’t the word she used though. Bucky finally shouted at them to shut up, then the girl started yelling at him. Not in a nice way. Her boyfriend was finally fed up. He jumped to his feet and told her that he had planned on surprising her with a special dinner at home and that he had wanted to propose to her, but he just had a change of heart. He left and she was running after him, shouting ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m sorry’.”

Tony had to admit that it was indeed quite a story. It was better than theirs and for some reason Tony didn’t like that. “Cool, sounds like a fun night. At least for you guys, not for her.”

Steve was laughing in response. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Listen… talking about movies. You wanna check out the new Cohen Brothers movie next week? We could have some drinks first at that place you like so much.”

“I’d love to, but… Bucky and I already agreed that we’d see it together.”

Obviously. Tony didn’t get to use the key and he didn’t get to see any movies with Steve. Great.

“You wanna meet up for lunch tomorrow? I could come to your work place and pick you up, how about that?”

It made Tony feel a little better, he had to admit that. “Sounds great. Just don’t let Natasha scare you, she isn’t quite as dangerous as he looks…”

“I think I can handle your secretary, Tony.”

“Assistant. Call her a secretary and she’s going to kill you.”

“I don’t see the difference.”

“Me neither.”

“You’re okay, Tony, right?”

Where did that come from all out of a sudden? Tony was doing perfectly fine, he had made a plan how to turn his fucked-up life around. It was working out perfectly. “Yap, sure. You know me, I’d be whining already if I wasn’t.”

“No, you wouldn’t. I know you Tony. When something is seriously wrong, you don’t say anything. If something is bothering you, just tell me. We can talk about anything…”

“You really think I’m only calling you when I fucked up? Very nice, Steve. Fuck you too by the way.”

“Tony, I didn’t mean…”

By then Tony had already hung up. So much about not disappointing Steve…

 ***

Natasha gave him that look. ‘You idiot didn’t get any sleep last night’. Yeah, she was right. Tony had been too busy beating himself up. Fighting with Steve had that kind of effect. Instant karma. You get a blowjob from a minor and your best friend instantly is angry at you, because he can sense it.

This was Steve’s superpower. Sensing whenever Tony was doing something stupid.

Maybe about time to do something right. Tony would fuck it up anyway, but he could still try. Picking up his phone Tony called Natasha. “Hey, I got some actual work for you to do for the first time ever.”

“Shoot, I’m curious.”

“I want to call the nice lady I had an appointment with the day before yesterday. I have no idea who she was working for. Name’s Virginia Potts. Work your magic and give me her number.”

Of course it took Natasha only 1 second, after all Tony should know these things probably himself. However, he got the number and Miss Potts answered the call after the first ringing. “Virginia Potts, hello?”

“Good morning, my dear. How are you faring?”

“Who is this?”

“It’s your great friend, Tony. Don’t say you’ve already forgotten about me? My heart wouldn’t be able to take it.”

She laughed in response and Tony knew that this had been a good idea. “Tony. How nice to hear from you. I would have called you anyway. To thank you, of course. I must admit that I’ve never had another appointment like the one with you, but it was very helpful.”

“I aim to please. Listen, I’ve had another idea. If you are fed up with all these business meetings and those millions that you are going to make for your company… How about you meet another millionaire who will take you to a shockingly average restaurant with dirty tables… which serves the best steak in the city. Later on there’s a good chance that he’ll take you to the movies. Any chance that might spark your interest?”

There was a pause, but that wasn’t unexpected. “Are you asking me to go out with you?”

“I am a millionaire and I want to take you out for a 30 dollar steak, yeah. If you insist on being an independent, strong woman you can pay for your own steak. Any thoughts on that?”

“I am a very strong and independent woman, but I still expect you to pay for my steak. Yes, I would like to go out with you.”

For some reason Tony was surprised. Really? She wanted to? Didn’t she know that Tony was a fuck-up? That he was the kind of guy who had had one or two times sex with a minor? Not something he should mention on that first date… “Great. How about tonight? Yes, I know I’m not losing any time. It’s one of my charming quirks.”

Another chuckle. “Sadly I already have plans for tonight. Tomorrow? Maybe you could make a reservation at the average restaurant. I’ll give you my address and you come and pick me up at 8 o’clock?”

This was going way too well. Either she was crazy and would attack him with the steakknife or Tony’s karma wasn’t as bad as he had thought. “By the minute. Don’t shy away from wearing something indecent since we’re not heading to a fancy place…”

“You’ve done a nice job so far, Tony. Don’t ruin it.”

“But that’s what I usually do.”

For god knows what reason she laughed. “Your assistant will give you my address. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

Tony had a date and only then he realised that he hadn’t expected this to work out. At all. No reason to get overly excited, he still had plenty of time to fuck it up. Sighing softly Tony tried to get some work done and ignore the voice in the back of his head that told him you couldn’t just fuck a minor and go on a normal date the next day.

Hell, he was Tony Stark, he could do anything if he wanted to.

Shortly before lunch break Natasha was calling him Tony prayed that Borrson didn’t want to eat with him. “Tony, a guy who looks like he had just jumped out a male loungerie magazine says he is here to pick you up for lunch. Name is Steve Rogers.”

After that description Tony didn’t need the fucking name. Tony still couldn’t stop himself from feeling utterly confused. His head was completely wiped clean. He had told Steve to go fuck himself, hadn’t he? “Send him in…”

Shifting in his seat Tony straightened up, eyes fixed on the door that swung open a second later. Steve casually walked in, closing the door behind him. He was wearing bright jeans, a red sports jacket and it was quite obvious how Natasha had come up with her comparison.

“Hey, I know you hinted at it, but… I had no idea she was so scary.” An almost shy smile played around his lips and it took Tony quite some willpower to not smile back at him. “What are you doing here, Steve?”

“I said I would pick you up for lunch. Here I am.”

“I kind of thought that lunch plans were off the table after I told you to go fuck yourself.”

Steve slightly wrinkled his nose and now Tony simply had to smile. “Yeah, but you didn’t mean it, I made you angry. We should talk about it, lunch would be a good time to do that. Come on, you’re invited.”

There was nothing else to say, this was typical. Steve just didn’t have any of Tony’s bullshit and Tony felt bad for snapping at him in the first place. After all Steve had been right, Tony had done something stupid, as usual.

“I’ll be ready in a second…”

About one minute later Steve and him were walking out of his office, Tony reminding Natasha to tell Borrson about it. She was laughing while Steve was raising an eyebrow. They were waiting for the elevator and Steve took a look around. “They do like cold steel around here, don’t they?”

“It does reflect the internal feelings of the people who are working here…”

The doors opened and Tony cursed his bad luck. Well, it could have been worse. It could have been the younger brother coming out of this elevator. “Oh hey, you are heading out for lunch?”

Stupid, obvious question. “Yeah…” Steve was giving him that look, reminding him of being polite and not an idiot. “Right… Thor, this is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is Thor Odinson.”

Thor smiled widely like he always did, shaking Steve’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Tony told me you are the son of the head of the company?”

“Exactly, that’s something we have in common.”

Tony complimented himself for not throwing up in his mouth while listening to that. “Well, nice talking to you, Thor, but we gotta get going. Or they’ll give our table away.”

Again that raised eyebrow, but Thor didn’t notice. “Sure. Have a nice lunch.”

Tony let out a long breath of release when Steve and him were alone in the elevator, moving downwards. Next to him Steve was chuckling softly. “You were right, he could crush your skull with a one single hand. Better don’t do anything to make him angry.”

Right, like letting his younger brother suck his cock…

Nope, that didn’t happen. Point number 1 on his list. “No reason for him to crush my skull. By the way I have a date tomorrow night. The girl I’ve told you about.”

Steve looked pleasantly surprised and smiled at Tony. “That’s great to hear.”

He was a great friend and it made Tony hate it that Steve was happy for him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Tony has a date and vows to be a better person, let's hope it'll work out for him :)

“I’ve made the reservation. You can get your tickets under the name ‘Tony I let my assistant do stuff I could easily do myself Stark’.”

Tony couldn’t help but burst out into laughter. “Natasha, I love you. Anything else?”

“Yes, you are going to be late for the meeting with the chairmen.”

“Yeah, I was kind of hoping if I played dead, I wouldn’t have to go there.”

Natasha slightly shook her head and grinned in amusement. “They would make you stay to yell at you for a few hours and you’d be late for your date. Do you really want to risk that?”

Now that sounded just awful, Tony wouldn’t risk that. He’d rather have an appointment at the dentist. “Okay, fine… I’m moving. Sure you can’t call me in about ten minutes and pretend that my apartment is on fire?”

“Move your ass, Tony.”

Damn, maybe he should have asked Natasha on a date. Nah, then Clint would probably skin him alive. “Fine, I’m already going…”

Not that he was interested at all in what new product they were going to present. It would be a thousand times better if Tony had had the opportunity to work on it. Now he was going to be bored and would try to suppress a yawn every five seconds.

Or a panic attack

There in the conference room, right next to Borrson, was Loki. The kid Tony had definitely never slept with. The other members of the chair were also there, but Tony didn’t give a fuck. What was the kid doing here? Didn’t he have to go to school? Yes, Tony knew that he was Borrson’s son, but seeing them right next to each other was a morbid reminder. “Tony!” Borrson smiled at him and Loki looked up. “Thor told me you’ve already met my youngest son.”

Out of reflex Tony wanted to throw his hands up in the air and shout “I didn’t do anything!” but luckily he remembered that Thor would have already killed him if anybody knew something about Loki and him. “Yeah, Thor introduced us.”

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Stark.” The smile on Loki’s face was deprived of any malice and his voice was even and normal. So there was hope after all.

“You don’t mind that he’s going to be present during the meeting. It is about time for him to get familiar with these processes.”

Whatever. Tony didn’t care as long as Loki sat at the other end of the table.

His wish was granted, there couldn’t be more space between them and Loki didn’t seem interested in him at all. Thank god. Two guys from the development department were presenting them their new version of a tablet computer that was supposed to put Apple out off business. Like that was ever going to happen. At least Tony was being entertained since everybody of them got a tablet to instantly test the new feature while the production them was explaining them.

Well, maybe somebody else was listening, Tony was busy reading the newspaper online. They were talking about how much faster the tablet was working and it was time to suppress a yawn.

One second later boredom was the last thing on Tony’s mind. A new window had opened on itself on his tablet. 1 message from god of mischief

Tony looked up, but Loki’s gaze was fixed on the guy who was giving them the presentation. Taking a breath Tony took a look at the message.

_Are you even trying to hide that you’re reading? If so, you’re doing a horrendous job. Odin is about to lose his shit. So keep doing it_

No innuendo, nothing. Good, Tony could answer that, only because he was so incredibly bored. _How can you tell? Your dad is not even watching me_

Loki took his time. He only responded to that message about two minutes later. _Of course he is. He can look in two different directions at the same time. You’ve never noticed that he’s completely cross-eyed._

No, Tony was more mature than that. He didn’t want to laugh out loud just now. It was true though, one of Odin’s eyes seemed to have a little bit of a life on its own. A scary thought. _Maybe he is just getting cross-eyed from listening to all this bullshit… Nobody is going to buy this piece of crap…_

While waiting for Loki’s reply Tony let his eye travel across the room, but there was nothing to attract his attention. The chairmen were about 100 years older than him and had probably no idea what the scientists were talking about and Tony didn’t know if he should envy them or pity them. Hard choice. The only person eagerly listening to them was Thor and that was just pathetic. How could you end up being such a perfect little pet? It was disgusting.

Oh, new message from the god of mischief…

_Absolutely, I can’t believe this is really part of your job. Or of anybody’s job. Your job sucks…_

Hey, this was really old news. Tony wanted to roll his eyes. _Yeah, but at least I’m getting paid. You are just sitting here and hating your own life_

The response came instantly and Tony’s eyebrows shot up.

_Well, then I’m not doing much different from what I usually do_

Wow, somebody was suffering from teenage depression here. The big bad world only out to get you and nobody understands your pain. Typical. Or maybe Tony was too harsh. He had grown up like Loki and he had hated it too. They both had an asshole as a dad and they were both being forced into positions they didn’t want to take. Tony had acted out like crazy when he had been Loki’s age and he was still acting out today. So… who was he to judge when Loki thought that nobody understood his pain and that nobody was going through something worse than he was. If Borrson was anything like Howard… Loki had the worst still ahead of him.

Now that wasn’t an uplifting thought. Not all. Time to change the topic.

_It’s still early, don’t you have to be in school_

Pretty weak, but Tony couldn’t be creative when he hadn’t drunk three cups of coffee yet. The possibility of not continuing the conversation only came to his mind now, but Tony decided against it. As long as their messages stayed innuendo-free Tony was doing fine and he was kind of interested in what Loki had to say. Also he would have liked somebody who listen to his problems… Right, Tony was the very last person Loki should be talking to… but he got it. People just didn’t like to listen to a rich kid’s whining.

_Home schooling. In about a week I’ll get Odin to let me go to a public school. Fucking private teachers… all think they’re god’s gift to mankind when they can differ a Monet from a Manet…_

Complete snob… naturally, but Tony agreed. Private teachers were the spawn of the devil. Especially when they were telling your father every five seconds that you screwed up on your Latin vocabulary. Still Tony had to admit that this confused him a little bit. Why would they keep him from visiting some school for the rich and powerful kids of New York? Tony had still Howard’s words ringing in his ears. Networking. Meeting people. Establishing friendship that could later be of use. Entering society. All that kind of bullshit. The only reason why Tony had also had a private teacher was the fact that no school in the entire world was able to live up to Howard’s standards.

Having his kid staying at home felt more like hiding Loki. Why should they though? Because he had a foul mouth, enjoyed to drink and to smoke and willingly spread his legs for guys he had met in a bar? Or just one guy. No, Borrson couldn’t possibly know about that or a sniper would have already blown Tony’s head off. There was another factor that Tony had to consider – Loki was sitting here, at a table with some very important guys. He wasn’t being hidden away like the black sheep somebody was ashamed for. Borrson was talking about introducing him into the business. No, the whole story didn’t make any sense, not in the least bit. Tony knew why he hated these rich bastards, they were crazy.

Another thought came to his mind, a scenario a lot more realistic. Natasha had talked about a rumour about a incident at the British boarding school. Good chance that other prominent schools weren’t going to accept him now… Loki had the guts to do something to get him expelled.

Maybe Tony should tell Natasha to find that out.

_Give them a chance. They failed to get a job at a regular school and now they’re stuck in a minor position_ _J_

The god of mischief didn’t reply to that, but this time Tony spotted his honest reaction. Loki looked at the tablet in his hands and the corners of his mouth twitched softly, hinting at a smile.

Damn, Tony really hoped for him that he’d be able to visit some normal school. Borrson had already done a good job at fucking his son up and Tony didn’t want Loki to end up like… Well, like him.

Constantly frustrated and stuck in a powerless position. Stuck in a boring meeting about technology that Tony could do one hundred times better.

They all had to deal with their own shit…

***

Finally Tony had done something right. He knew it the second he saw Miss Potts opened the door. Wearing a dark blue dress, her hair falling softly over her shoulders she was looking beautiful. Classy and smart. The first time Tony had seen her, he hadn’t noticed all these pretty freckles on her cheeks. From now on he’d call her Pepper, it seemed fitting.

“You’re on time.”

“You sound surprised.” Tony smirked at her and she smiled in response. Honest and real, she was honestly looking forward to see him. This was kind of taking him aback, unsettling him. No, he was a nice guy and he was quite attractive. It was okay for people to think he wasn’t such a bad choice for a date… until they got to know him.

“Believe me, I was a lot more surprised when you showed up to our appointment even me.”

Yeah, Tony should stop being punctual right now, he was making the wrong impression. Next time. If she didn’t already hate him by then. “I am here to amaze. Let’s go, I’ve changed the plans a little bit. We’re going to the movies first and I want to continue my new habit of being on time.”

While getting into the car Tony was thinking about the last time he had a serious date. He couldn’t remember.

“What film are we going to see?”

“That new fantasy flick. I hope you don’t mind talking during a movie, because I need to comment on everything I see.” Actually he didn’t. Not in the cinema, but at home with Steve, because they had their little inside jokes.

“The people sitting around us won’t like that.”

“Nah, you haven’t heard my comments yet. They will be glad. I make great comments. I have a great dialogue on why Darth Vader should be wearing white instead of black. It’s so totally racist.”

Pepper’s soft laugh filled the car and Tony really liked it. There was something so happy about it, carefree, no dark edge. Incredibly refreshing. Most probably this was just what Tony needed. “Actually I’ve never seen Star Wars.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about you people. The three of you always have meetings on Sunday night.”

“Not anymore we were moved to Monday afternoon, because the nine guys who haven’t seen The Lord Of The Rings yet.”

“Nasty guys, bunch of losers. How can you get through life without knowing anything about Frodo? Now that nerds rule the world.”

“Don’t ask me, I’m at the Star Wars meeting.”

Mentally Tony was adding points. She was having a sense of humour and she wasn’t one of these stupid workaholics who didn’t even know what a television was. All looking very good until now. Things got even better right after the movie. First of all, she liked it and their steaks were fucking delicious.

So Pepper did have an entirely different background than him. No rich family, just a lot blood, sweat and tears that brought her to where she was now. It was also fairly obvious that she didn’t want to stop here. Fair enough, Tony didn’t have anything against ambition. He also was of the opinion that smart people should be in charge and Pepper was smart. So smart that she instantly began to ask the right questions. “What is this whole deal with you at Borrson Corp all about? There are a lot of conspiracy theories going on…”

Tony took a moment to read her face. Was she honestly interested or was she fishing for information? No, she was honest, Tony was pretty sure. Of course, his intuition had failed him before, but Tony had decided he didn’t want to have a negative attitude all the time. At least outside of the office.

“I’m being punished. As simple as that.” Why should he try to make up a story? Howard was never rushing to his defence, so Tony wasn’t going to do that now.

A little frown appeared on Pepper’s face. “What are you being punished for?”

“Not living up to the name Stark? I don’t know. I don’t care. It’s not like I’ve done anything different at Stark Industries.”

Now that was a conversation turning sour. Howard would be so glad if he knew that he was ruining Tony’s date. Without even being here. New record.

Pepper must have realised that his mood was changing. For a second she looked a bit uncomfortable, only to brush it off quickly. “You know… I’ve applied once for a job at Stark Industries… about five years ago.”

Seems like Pepper also had a thing for making bad decision. Or she was curious how it would be like to work for the devil. “Ah? What happened? You had some attributes that they didn’t like? Compassion? A conscience? A backbone?”

Pepper smiled in response and shrugged. “I have no idea. They said I didn’t have the right credentials. Not enough experience.”

“Who were you talking to during your interview?”

For a second she seemed to try to remember. “Obadiah Stane.”

Just that name made Tony’s skin crawl. Obadiah had always liked to act as if he gave a shit about Tony, but the more impatient Howard had grown with Tony… Obadiah and Howard were one of a kind. Sharks who loved to devour little fish and they hated it that Tony didn’t feel the need to stomp on the little guy. “Yeah… Obi is a jerk. Forget about it, it was probably the best thing that has ever happened to you. Not working for Stark Industries. It’s a place that sucks out your soul. Not that Borrson Corp is any better. Hey, what’s the place like where you’re working at?”

“Not that bad I guess, because I’m pretty confident that I still have my soul. I went to church a couple of weeks ago and I didn’t go up in flames when I stepped over the doorsill. That’s what happens when you don’t have a soul, right?”

Tony had a nice chuckle over that. “I guess so. Good for you, life is so much nicer when you still have a soul… if you have to lose your soul, then you should get something for it. You know… like being able to win every game of poker, walking over water, being able to solve the crossword in the New York Times. Stuff Jesus could do…”

She answered with a smile that said ‘I have no trouble whatsoever with solving these crossword puzzles’. Not the worst conversation for a first date. Talking about reasons why you would sell your soul. Just fooling around, of course. Immediately after getting home Tony would get some black candles and try to summon the devil. Tony’s soul for another father wasn’t a bad deal.

“I think we’ve talked about work. Besides going to the movies and eating cheap steak… which is incredibly delicious by the way… what do you do?”

A dire realisation hit Tony with full force. He hadn’t done much during these last couple of weeks, but drinking and feeling sorry for himself… and getting on Steve’s nerves, because he was whining so fucking much. Good to remind him that he actually did have some things that he liked to do. “I’m a mechanic. I like working with everything that’s powered by an engine. Or buttons. Or a hard drive. Whatever. I’ve been starting to build my own car with my own hands, but I kind of put that aside for now.”

“Why? That sounds exciting. You can actually do that? Build a car? All on your own?”

“Sure. I can build anything. I’ve never limited myself to one field. Cars, computers… I once repaired Howard’s private plane... long story.”

“Sounds like an interesting one. I’m all ears.”

Tony didn’t leave out any details, he happily told how Howard almost had a fit, because they couldn’t take off and he’d be late for his appointment in Japan. By now Tony couldn’t even remember why he had been there with him, but he remembered all too well how he had casually walked into the cockpit and fixed the computer. It had been a minor malfunction, you just needed to know where to look for it. Howard had gotten to Japan on time, but he had already been so pissed off, he hadn’t even acknowledged it had been Tony who had fixed the problem. Fuck that old man.

“How old were you at that time?”

“21, I guess. It was just around the time I got my pilot licence.”

Yep, that was also a good thing to mention when you wanted to impress a girl. Hey, wanna take a trip to Paris? Not a problem, I can fly us there. I just need to steal my father’s private jet. Don’t worry, I have done it before.

Pepper didn’t look surprised though, of course she would know a thing or two about him. “Is there anything you can’t drive or fly?”

“They haven’t let me have my try at a spaceship yet, but I’m fairly sure I’d do a good job on that too. Enough of me. How about you?”

“Me? Oh, I don’t fly myself. I like to let the pilot do that, so I don’t get everybody on the plane killed. Also I like to work during a flight, I like to take advantage of the time.”

Tony grinned at her. “Sleeping would also be taking advantage of a flight.”

She responded with a soft laugh, but she determinedly shook her head. “No, that’s the definition of wasting time.”

Good lord… “When was the last time you took some time off?”

“Right now.”

“It’s a Friday Night, that doesn’t count.”

“Tony, I’m always working. In this business you have to work twice as hard as a man if you want to get anywhere or they will walk all over you. I’m not complaining, that’s just the way it is. Everybody has to deal with the tools given to them and I’m doing that.” Her smile didn’t fade away completely, but her eyes made clear that this was important to her and Tony better shouldn’t make a stupid comment. Especially since he was a guy and he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Said silver spoon had always tasted like dreadful and Tony would have gladly given it away, but people didn’t like to believe that. Rightly so, Tony didn’t despise being rich, he just despised his father.

“Cool, I feel quite honoured that you spent that time off with a weird nerd like me. Hey, don’t give me that look. Nerds are cool now, but I still got beat up in school… Here I go again, talking about myself. We’ve already established that you like spending time with me, awesome, good choice. What do you do if I’m not around?”

Again Tony was surprised how good this whole thing was working out. Until now he hadn’t said something utterly stupid or driven her away. What was wrong with that woman? Was she insane? She had to be, because Pepper seemed only amused by the way he talked.

“I fear the way I spend my time is not as exciting as yours. Normally I like to go out, because due to my work I’m always inside, staring at a computer screen. I like to run, to hike, meet the girls… I do a lot of sports to unwind. That’s about it. I guess that’s about it.”

“Oh god, I don’t move anymore than necessary… “ Tony couldn’t even finish the sentence before her perfectly plucked eyebrow went up. He took that as a compliment. “Okay, expect for the times when my best friend drags me to the gym. He does that sometimes. Really bad habit, I try to make him stop it.”

Pepper smirked and took a sip from her wine before answering. “If you want to hear my advice… not a good idea. You could join me on my Sunday morning run if you want to. Maybe you’d like that more than hitting the gym.”

“Dear Lord, you want me to work out? I thought we were getting along just right… why do you want to torture me now? And not the fun way!”

Instead of pitying him Pepper just continued to smile and Tony couldn’t feel any weirder. Not only did she like him, she pretty much invited him to a second date. Taking a run together totally counted as a second date. When was the last time Tony had had a second date? High school? This wasn’t gong to work out.

“We can have brunch afterwards, I know a place where they serve wonderful pancakes, but you have to earn them. 40 minutes, Central Park. Are you in?” It almost sounded like a dare and because Tony was a stupid idiot he was completely falling for that. “Okay, I’m in, but if I collapse after 5 minutes and I totally will, you have to perform CPR on me. Just don’t let me die.”

“I think I can do that.”

During the next two hours Tony was still convinced that this second date wasn’t going to happen, but even the ride home went over well. Like a gentleman Tony brought Pepper to the doorstep, he got a kiss on the cheek and obviously was stuck with a sports date on Sunday morning. Which wasn’t bad… just completely unusual and unexpected. Hell, how did he manage to do that? Three hours and Tony hadn’t fucked it up. Either this was a very first time for him or something was wrong with Pepper… Possible… Maybe Tony should call in sick… She actually liked him. Something was wrong with that.

Damn, what was he going to do about that?

Call Steve…

By the time Tony arrived had home he was almost suffering a heart attack. In the elevator Tony got his phone out and why the hell didn’t Steve answer his call immediately. Didn’t he know that his was fucking important? Finally, after the fifth ringing, Tony’s call was answered. No holding back now. “Help me! I have a second date! I need help!”

Yes, he was shouting, but Tony didn’t care, he was suffering a crisis here and Steve was supposed to help him.

“Uhm… are you alright?”

That voice wasn’t Steve’s and Tony felt his blood pressure rising. He wanted to talk to Steve, that’s why he had called Steve. “What are you doing with Steve’s phone? Spying on your boyfriend is not an endearing trait, Bucky. It’s fucking annoying. Now give me, Steve.”

Tony could hear Bucky gasping. Was he feeling offended now? Good, put Steve on the fucking line. “I’m not spying, Steve is in the kitchen and he asked me to answer his phone.”

Yep, that guy was pissed, but Tony was too. Cellphones were a great invention, because you got to talk instantly to the person you wanted to talk to. There were no shared cellphones and he wanted that guy to get his fingers of Steve’s phone. What else was he doing, reading his texts?

“Great, you answered it, now give Steve the fucking phone. I need to talk to him.”

He could hear Bucky grumbling, but Tony didn’t care, he was impatiently walking up and down. The doors opened and Tony rushed down the hall to his apartment.

“Hello? Tony?”

Thank god!

“Hey, do you know that your boyfriend is using your phone when your not there?”

“Because I asked him too. What’s going on?”

By now Tony was finally in his apartment, kicking off his shoes. “Nothing special, I just came back from my date with Pepper…”

“Pepper?”

“Yeah, Pepper. The woman I told you about. We had a date, it was nice. She wants to meet again on Sunday.”

“But that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Aren’t you listening to me? I got a second date! I don’t do second dates! I don’t know how to do second dates!” Tony was shouting again, but he didn’t care. Perhaps it was embarrassing that this was upsetting him so much, but he honestly had no idea what to do and he wasn’t used to that.

A beautiful, sophisticated, smart woman wanted to meet him again. The day before Tony had gotten his cock sucked by a teenager. Things like that didn’t happen.

Steve had one thing in common with Pepper, he liked to chuckle. “Welcome to the world of the adults. Sometimes we do have second dates. That’s a good sign. It means she likes you and you’re being mature. No reason to be nervous.”

Dropping onto the couch Tony put his arm over his eyes. “Steve… I don’t do second dates and I honestly didn’t expect that she would even want one. I’m freaking out over this…”

“Do you like her? Would you like to see her again?” Steve sounded as calm as ever and Tony thought that he didn’t get his problem.

“Yeah, she’s great… not some bimbo, but a woman who’s got some class. That makes it even weirder that she wants to see me again. What am I going to do? You’ve had lots of second dates. Help me out.” Now he was whining, but maybe that would help to make Steve understand that he was having a serious problem here.

Or not, because the chuckle had quickly turned into a sigh. “It’s just like a first date, only difference is that you now know more about the other person. It’s a good thing, Tony. You’re just looking for reasons to screw this up. It’s totally okay to try to have a serious relationship with someone. If you’re having a good time, you continue from there. If you don’t… then you don’t see each other again. For now it’s great that you’ve met somebody and it’s not something completely superficial. That’s good for you. it doesn’t have to work out immediately, but it’s good that you’re trying.”

Nothing about this made Tony feel the least bit better. Of course Steve would say all that, none of this was surprising and Tony knew perfectly well that he was right. Tony had had the very despicable hope that Steve wouldn’t like the fact that his date had went to well. Unlike him Steve was a good friend, so he was content for him.

“Probably I’m going to fuck it up anyway, so I shouldn’t think so hard about it…”

“Oh, come on. That’s not true. You’ve never tried it. I have very strong faith in you being relationship material.” Steve used that teasing tone and Tony was about to reply when he heard some hushed whisper in the background. Couldn’t Bucky keep his mouth shut when they were talking? “Listen Tony, Bucky and me were just about to head out… how about I come around tomorrow and then we’ll talk about this?”

How about you tell Bucky to fuck off and we could talk right now? Or better, come over and we have a couple of beers and watch some 80ies movie. “Fine, you two have some fun. Maybe I should go out and pick up some broad and that will solve my problem.”

“Don’t be stupid, Tony. You met someone you like and you’re freaking out. Completely normal. Just go to sleep and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

“Fine… I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony released a loud sigh and he hung up, feeling not the least bit better. Okay, not true. Steve didn’t think it was that strange that somebody wanted to have a second date with him. After getting to know him. He was old enough to be able to handle this. After all Tony had asked her out to prove himself that he could be a normal person, go out with a person his age, smart, interesting and definitely too good for a one night stand. Acting irresponsibly was way easier than any of this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> It looks like things are finally looking better for Tony... so trouble has to be waiting around the corner, right? :)
> 
> Have fun

“How was your date?” The smirk on Natasha’s face was so taunting that Tony thought for a second that she might have been hiding in the bushes, observing Tony while he had been struggling to keep up with Pepper.

“Which one, the first or the second?”

The smirk was replaced by a smile. “You’ve already been on a second date?”

“I think so. Does going for a run together count? We’ve also had brunch afterwards. I nearly fainted and she pretended that I wasn’t being completely pathetic.”

His little story seemed to honestly amuse Natasha. “For real? If it was her idea it totally counts. Although there might not be a third date if you completely embarrassed yourself.”

“Oh great, I should have known. Is this some thing women do? To check out a man’s stamina? Wow… looks quite bad for me now. You could have warned me!”

“Hey, I didn’t know you had a second date and there is no such thing as ‘some thing women do’. She probably suggested it, because she thought it would be fun. Clint and I had our forth date at a shooting gallery. It was amazing.”

Tony blinked and reminded himself to never piss off Natasha or her boyfriend. “Are you sure you aren’t some kind of secret assassin and this job is your cover? Say yes, please, because that would be the coolest thing ever. Or don’t say yes, because that would probably mean that you have to kill me. Just blink one time if you are an assassin. Two times if you’re not. Hey, what does three times mean?”

“That you’re stupid and you have a lot of work waiting for you in your office.”

“Thanks for the update. I suddenly feel the big need to check out the development department… See you…”

Natasha was shaking her head while Tony was walking off, but he was pretty sure that she was smiling. Yep, he knew his way around women, didn’t he? Pepper and him hadn’t agreed on a third date yet, but it was quite obvious that there would be one. It couldn’t be denied that Tony had almost died during their little run, yet the brunch had been great. Hard to believe that he had been so worried about the second date. Third date meant sexy times, something that Tony was way more comfortable with. Steve had rolled his eyes when Tony had pointed that out. Typical.

Today Tony was a in a good mood and he wouldn’t let something as trivial as work ruin that. Whistling a soft tune Tony made his way to the lower floors, right to Bruce’s lab. Hopefully he was working on something interesting and needed a pair of hands to help him. Disappointment was weighing Tony down when he spotted Bruce sitting at one of the many tables, filling out some report. Boring.

“Doctor Banner, I came here hoping you would be doing something fun. You know… like sewing different parts of different corpses together to create a really cool monster. Banner’s monster… Nah, doesn’t sound so good. Give me a few minutes, I’ll come up with a great name for the monster…”

Bruce was looking up from his files and he reacted with a smile to Tony’s babbling. That didn’t happen so often. Most of the time people only got pissed off when Tony interrupted their work. Not Bruce though. Also it was very hard for Tony to even imagine Bruce being angry. This guy had such a soft face, he looked tired most of the time, but that didn’t betray his gentle nature. “I’m sorry, Tony. Today is all about paper work.”

Now that sucked. “Really? No ace up your sleeve? Show off a little bit.”

“Not today. Next week though…”

The tone of Bruce’s voice made sweet promises and Tony made a step forward, not trying to hide his interest. “Yeah?”

“It took me ages to convince Borrson, but I finally got some funding to start working on my hologram technology again. Don’t get too excited, it’s barely anything and he only agreed to shut me up, but…”

“That’s so awesome! And finally something useful!” Tony had already about a thousand ideas that were rushing through his head. Just the memory of the presentation of the new pads was threatening to put him to sleep. The future wasn’t some stupid device kids liked to play with and carry around in their bags. Back at home Tony had some sketches of his ideas how a hologram could replace all forms of computer screens. He definitely needed to bring them and show them to Bruce. Maybe they could combine some elements of their… Tony’s excitement vanished quickly and the sour reality caught up to him. Bruce was going to work on this, but Tony was going to sit in his office and read about it when it would all be done and over. Fuck this!

It couldn’t be hard for Bruce to make out which emotions Tony was going through right now. “I would be honoured if you helped me with it. I am sure I could profit a lot from your input… and it would be fun.”

“Definitely… but I’m supposed to sit in my stupid office 24/7… we’d have to sneak around like Romeo and Juliet.” Tony batted his eyelids and Bruce chuckled softly in response. “I don’t want to end up killing myself, thank you very much.”

“Fine, we’ll do our own twists on the story. No suicide, we’ll keep the whole thing pretty tame. Seriously, I would love to help you with that. Now that I know about it, I’m going to sneak in anyway even if you don’t want me to.”

“No, your input is very much appreciated.”

For the first time ever Tony felt like this job wasn’t the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. Finally something to work on, something challenging, something Tony had to use his brain for. He had already a few millions of ideas going through his head. “Hey, we should have lunch together and talk about what we could do.”

“I’d love to do that, but I’m already taken. Borrson wants to talk about the files, that’s how I’m going to spend most of my day.”

Now that sucked and Tony patted Bruce’s shoulder to show his compassion. “Just try to don’t look straight into his eyes, he might steal your soul.”

Tony knew exactly why he liked Bruce so much, this man got his sense of humour. “This soul stealing ability is a trait that runs in the family.”

“Really? Thor is rather a case of puppy dog eyes.”

Closing the file in front of him Bruce took off his glasses and shook his head. “I’m talking about the kid. Borrson wanted me to show him around. That kid really has a death glare…”

Absolutely, Tony could imagine that only too well. For now he had mostly seen dirty leers and grins, but Loki had these dark eyes and sharp features… perfect for a bitchface. “If he was bitching, why not just throw him out?”

“The boss’ kid?” Bruce looked at him as if Tony had lost his mind and he had to admit that the other one was having a good point. “He wasn’t bitching, but he clearly didn’t want to be here. A shame, the kid is wicked smart. I admit I don’t know that many 15 year old boys, but I doubt that many of them have such board knowledge in physics and chemistry. He was in a foul mood though and he didn’t make an effort to hide it. Anyway… how about we have lunch together tomorrow? Then we can talk about how we are going to pull this of.”

Tony was grateful for the change of topic and nodded instantly. “Cool, that sounds great. Can’t wait.”

They chatted for a few more minutes before Bruce had to excuse himself, because he didn’t want to let Borrson wait that long. Tony couldn’t care less about that old idiot, but he was going to help to develop a functioning hologram, so Tony was still in a good mood. It had been such a long time since something good had happened to him, so he would embrace it with open arms.

The rest of noon passed fairly quickly and then Thor waltzed into his office, without Natasha announcing him. Bad start, really bad. Also Thor was smiling, Tony didn’t like that. Tamed puppy. “Tony, how are you doing?”

“Well, you know… the usual. I’m trying to figure out how to sleep less, so I can watch more Netflix. Orange is the new black will be my downfall.”

Thor didn’t comment on that and Tony considered the possibility that he didn’t know what Netflix was. That was just too much. Tony wouldn’t be able to last a day without being able to binge watch Breaking Bad whenever he wanted to. It was nice to remind himself once in a while that there were people who had a shittier father than him.

“I was just about to grab lunch. You want to come with me?”

The ‘no’ was already lying on his tongue, but unfortunately Thor proved that he indeed didn’t have the right genes to do a bitchface, instead Tony had to deal with this big blue, innocent eyes that were somehow making him think of Steve. Only Steve’s were prettier. “Where do you want to go?”

“Italian?”

“Sure… why not.” Tony couldn’t out rule the possibility that Thor was here under Borrson’s order, but a man still needed to eat. Also Tony really needed to spend some time with Thor to learn to act calmly and normally around him. Not like he had had sex with his baby brother.

Right, that had never happened, Tony had almost forgotten about that. No reason to feel awkward.

Thor took him to another Italian place than Natasha had, it was a little bit more elegant, but Tony still felt at ease. A little bit. Luckily Thor had no problems with starting a conversation and Tony thanked god that he didn’t feel the need to talk about work. Thor seemed far more interested in sports and that was something Tony could perfectly deal with. To his actual surprise it was fun to talk with Thor about football.

This is good, this was harmless.

So why did Tony want to ask about Loki?

Right, because he was a stupid idiot. Gotcha…

“I’d love to go to more games, but there’s work and Jane isn’t into sports. At all.”

“Who’s Jane? Your girlfriend?” Women would be a good topic. Then Tony would be able to mention that he was dating a beautiful thirty-something woman. Like a normal person.

With a bright smile on his lips Thor nodded. “Yes. She is lovely, but sometimes it’s strenuous that we don’t have the same interests. Most of the time it’s refreshing though…” It sounded like he instantly corrected himself, because he had revealed very private information to a stranger.

Tony felt the urge to reassure him. “Women, huh? They want you to like the same movies as them, but then they’re throwing you out anyway, because they want to have a ladies night. Whatever. What does she do?”

“She’s an astrophysicist.”

Damn, it wasn’t hard to guess who was the smartypants in this relationship. Speaking of smart people… No, Tony wouldn’t ask. Steve would tell him to shut up and Steve was always right. Nah, Steve was dating Bucky, so he also made some stupid decisions sometimes. Still not as bad as Tony.

“What about you?”

Huh, was Thor also here to spy on him? Tony wouldn’t be surprised. He hadn’t heard from Howard in a few days and now that he knew that Borrson also hated his guts… No, he wouldn’t send Thor. Admittedly he would be a very unsuspicious choice, but Tony doubted that Borrson thought his son smart enough to do so. Speaking of smart sons…

“Oh, I’m seeing someone. Gotta wait and find out if it’s something serious…” Tony shrugged, he didn’t want to go into detail, he didn’t know Thor all that well. The other one didn’t mind and continued to talk about his girlfriend who sounded way more interesting than Thor. Then he mentioned astrophysics again and Tony snapped. “Uhm… so… how is your little brother doing?” Tony tried his best to sound casual, but he didn’t make it to look into Thor’s face while talking about Loki.

His gratefulness didn’t know any limits when Thor again didn’t notice and immediately started talking. This time he didn’t seem upset by his little brother, instead he was smiling lightly. “Loki is doing fine, thanks for asking. He got his will and father agreed to send him to school. A private one, of course. This way it’ll be easier for him to make friends and he’s very happy about that.”

Happy? Tony couldn’t imagine Loki being happy. “That means he won’t be hanging around the company anymore?” He wasn’t sounding hopeful, right?

“Not as much as he has until now and of course not during school times. It’ll be the same as with me. When I was his age, I spent pretty much all my afternoons in the company.” Thor didn’t say it like it was a bad thing, although it clearly was.

Tony knew it was time to change the topic, it had been wrong to even bring it up. “Don’t get this wrong, but I didn’t have the impression that he enjoys being there that much.”

Gone was Thor’s smile and Tony didn’t miss that he shifted in his chair. “No, you’re right about that… he has other interests right now. But he’s only 15, he doesn’t know yet what he’s going to do in his life.”

“Huh… most people have a pretty good idea of what they don’t want to do in their lives when they are 15…”

Thor raised an eyebrow at him and Tony made a mental note to kick his own ass afterwards. “Right now Loki rebels against anything that our father wants him to do. He’ll get over that. It’s a family business…”

How desperately Tony wanted to roll his eyes. Just because it was a family business that doesn’t mean that every member of the family wanted to get into it. Now it was definitely time to stop talking about Loki…

“Did you always know that you wanted to get into the family business?”

“Of course.” Thor’s smile was forced and Tony knew why he had always known – because Borrson had made clear that there were no other options. Despite being a big, strong looking guy Thor probably hadn’t put up a lot of his resistance. Loki was quite a different case… and Tony should stop wondering about this.

“Cool… so… you do any other sports than football?”

 ***

Tony almost hit his head when his phone started vibrating against his leg. For the first time in ages he started working on his computer and he instantly got interrupted. Turning down the music Tony answered the call. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Tony. I’ve been ringing your doorbell for five minutes now. Glad you turned down the music… You’re gonna let me in?”

“On my way.” Hanging up Tony got up and walked towards the door. He let Steve in who smiled at him although he had been waiting for five minutes. Huh…

“Why are you standing in front of the door when you got a key?”

Tony was about to turn around when he noticed that Steve was shifting uncomfortably. What was this about?

“Uhm… I could hear the music, so I knew you were here.”

“Yeah, one reason more to just use the fucking key. That’s what you’ve got it for.”

Steve cleared his throat and avoided Tony’s eyes. Oh… now that was just stupid and it made him angry. “Seriously? You don’t want to use the key, because I’m not supposed to use mine anymore. Look around, there’s nothing going on that you could be interrupting. Even if… I don’t care. I gave you the key so you could use it. Mi casa es tu casa.”

“Okay… I got it… I just didn’t want to do something that I told you… not to do.”

“Well, you can use that key anytime.” Tony shrugged and walked back to his computer and picked his wrench back up to open the housing. “What can I do for you?”

Watching him Steve made himself comfortable on the office chair next to the desk. “I wanted to ask how your second date went… I was surprised that you didn’t call me to tell me about it.”

Tony couldn’t help but feel pleased to hear a tiny bit of disappointment in Steve’s voice. He had already known that he was a bad person, so no big surprise there. Focusing on the screws Tony shrugged. “Maybe there isn’t so much to tell. We took a run, then we had brunch and it was nice. She has a lot of brains, she laughs at my jokes, but doesn’t agree with every bullshit I say. I like her and you were right, it was no big deal. We’re going to see at each other again and I’ve decided to not freak out about it. Not until we agreed on when we’re going to have the third date.”

He could hear Steve shifting on the chair. “That’s great. Tell me a few things about her?”

“Not so many new things to tell. She has a lot of freckles, I like her freckles. I was almost fainting after the run and she didn’t even break a sweat. She likes classical music and 80ies rock… which is awesome. She is a perfectionist, that could be a potential pain in the ass. She even complained about her omelette not being up to her standards, but she was really nice while doing it, so I don’t think she’s a spoiled bitch. No, I think she’s awesome. We’ll see how it turns out.”

“You’re a perfectionist too, you know.”

“Just when it comes down to technology. I don’t care about the colour of my fucking omelette.”

“Because you’d eat anything. Even that sandwich you found under couch.”

“It was delicious.”

“Disgusting.”

“Delicious.”

Steve’s laughter filled the room and Tony smirked contently.

“If it’s going to work out, when are you going to introduce her to me?” Tony decided that he liked Steve’s eagerness and he put the wrench away. “Hmm… surely not before we’ve had sex. You know, that can make or break a relationship. The third date is the sex date… not obligatory though… Maybe she’s too classy for that. How much time passed until Bucky and you did it for the first time?”

It was impossible to miss how Steve’s cheeks were suddenly heating up. Tony thought it was adorable. “Now that’s a rather delicate question.”

“Since when? You’ve told me every time when you got it on with one of your guys.”

Hearing that Steve screwed his face up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Don’t make it sound like I’ve had that many guys…”

“Well, you’ve definitely had less than you could have had. You’re hot.” Tony grinned and the flush on Steve’s cheek intensified. “What? I’ve told you hundreds of times that you’re hot. Don’t act like this is some strange revelation.”

Huffing Steve looked at him strangely. “Right… what were walking about?”

“You wanted to know when I’m going to introduce you to Pepper and… I have no idea when that is going to happen. Or if… Don’t stress me.”

“Alright, alright.” Finally normal colour returned to Steve’s face and Tony smiled at him. Sometimes he didn’t get Steve. The guy was full confidence when it came down to his physical abilities, his mind or even his morals, but you couldn’t compliment him. God knows why Steve wasn’t able to take them, perhaps because he always wanted to be better than he already was.

“How about we get out of here? We could grab some food.”

“Sorry, but I’m going to pick Bucky up from work. We have a reservation.”

Well, of course. That wasn’t surprising at all, right? Tony did his best to not pull a face, but it was quite hard. It was getting harder and harder to get a fucking minute alone with Steve. None of his exes had ever taken up that much of Steve’s time. It was fucking annoying. “You know… we should have dinner, all four of us. You and Bucky, Pepper and me. That would be awesome.”

Steve’s eyebrows went up so high, they were touching his hairline. “What? A second ago you said that you didn’t know when you would introduce her to me. Now you want to have a double date?”

No, Tony didn’t want to have a fucking double date, he wanted to spend more than five minutes with his best friend and it seemed like the only way to get there was to invite other people. “Why not? The more the merrier.”

“I like that idea. I’ll talk to Bucky when we have time and you should talk to Pepper. Is it okay to call her that? Pepper? It sounds really weird…”

“It doesn’t sound weird, it sounds great. How about next Saturday? Borrson Corp has some Gala on Friday Night… Lots of potential buyers and money givers… All these super assholes that I love so much. So Friday is ruined, we should do something nice on Saturday.”

Steve nodded, pulled out his phone and typed a message. Probably already asking if Bucky was okay with their double date. He’d better be… since Tony was playing the thought again of building a killer robot.

 ***

There was beer, so Tony didn’t feel the urge to murder every person present. Not yet. By now Tony had thanked his lucky star that this event didn’t resemble the last one all too much. The crowd was way more diverse, they were actual women present. Also the atmosphere felt more like a party. Too elegant and too fancy for Tony’s taste, but he had the feeling that there were people in this room with whom he could have a conversation that wasn’t all about money. So yeah, he was one hour into this event and the thought of slitting his wrist hadn’t crossed his mind yet.

He was doing a marvellous job at avoiding Borrson and always having a full glass in his hand. Instead he was talking to an insanely rich lady who had a serious interest in the technology the company was producing. That was rare. Somebody who vaguely knew what they were talking about. Nice surprise, but Tony still enjoyed talking about the new Tom Cruise flick.

“It’s freaking awesome! He was jumping out of a plane without a fucking parachute and landed right on top of some other guy. Squashing him while shooting two other guys. No need to give me that look, they were bad guys. It was hilarious.”

“It sounds rather violent.”

“That’s why it’s fun. Later on he was blowing up some guy while shooting him and running him over with a car. You can’t fault him for not being thorough.” Tony raised his glass and took a sip, while the woman laughed softly. As far as Tony could tell she honestly thought it was funny and didn’t just try to please him. So refreshing to talk to an actual human being. “Would that be your own preferred way to kill the bad guy in your movie?”

Now that was worth a thought or two. Tony started pondering and he couldn’t help but dig up all his teenage phantasies about how he would get rid of Howard. Was it a sign of potential insanity that he couldn’t keep the smile off his face? “I’d build a killer robot which would take care of anybody who has ever annoyed me.” It would definitely be the smarter choice to not tell her that he was probably even capable of building said robot. Now it all made sense. Perhaps this was the reason why Howard was trying to keep him out off a lab. Old bastard was fearing for his own life.

Tony burst out laughing and the woman raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, blinking in pure confusion, but Tony had no intention of explaining his little inside joke. Too bad he had to kill her now too, because she had enough information now to trace the killer robot back to him.

If Tony had to sum up the first two hours of this night at Borrson Corp, he would not complain that much. Steve would be so fucking proud of him. Tony having fun at socialising and by now it didn’t look like he had made a new enemy or offended anyone. For some unexplained reason he hadn’t even tried to start flirting with one of the women, although some of them had clearly visited some modelling school. Tony should think about what that meant. Either he did like Pepper more than he had thought or he was coming down with some serious illness.

Another hour in Tony decided to take a little pause. Leaning against a table a little bit aside from the main action Tony sipped on his champagne. At the same time his eyes were checking out his surroundings. It was surprising how many things you could learn if you were just watching closely. Not all people were here for the same reason. Sure, most of them were searching for somebody they could do business with in the future. Small talk, smiles, I admire your work, how are the kids doing, blablabla. Some of them were already doing business, like Borrson. Tony could tell from the way he was talking to that other asshole in a suit. How they were smiling at each other, so sure of themselves, like they had just divided the world between them and maybe that was exactly what they had done, Tony wouldn’t be surprised. Nothing that he cared for. Tony thought it was way more interesting that a blonde in a green dress was about to hook up with some dude who definitely had other things in mind than doing business. Good to know that there were still normal people. That thought caused Tony to smile and he downed his glass.

That was the moment when he spotted Thor.

The big guy definitely wasn’t doing business or trying to hook up with some girl. It was easy to tell that he was completely worked up about something, because he was doing a terrible job at hiding it. Tony’s interested was sparked and his eyes were fixed on Thor while the blond was trying to get away from the crowd. He was speaking into his phone and whatever he was hearing didn’t please him, judging by the way that vein on his forehead was getting bigger and bigger.

Intriguing and definitely more exciting than anything that had happened so far.

Still talking Thor did a look around and Tony noticed that his eyes lingered on his father. Huh, Thor made sure that Borrson didn’t see him? Two seconds later Thor rushed towards the exit of the room.

Whatever he was about to do, it definitely wasn’t any of Tony’s business. Being curious didn’t give you the permission to follow a person around who definitely didn’t want anybody to see what he was doing. So Tony would patiently wait here and maybe ask Thor what was going on when he would be back. By the time Tony had finished this thought he was already out the door.

It wasn’t particularly hard to find Thor now, he only had to walk around the corner… and then he instantly wished he had stayed where he had been. What the fuck was he doing here? None of his business, go back and have a drink, Tony. Bad Tony, very bad.

“…go of me, Thor… wants me to be here, so I’m here…”

“Loki, you are not walking in there! You are drunk! Father is going to kill you if you…” Thor tried to hold Loki back, but the kid was squirming out of his grip. “Make a scene? See about that.”

Tony should be running, the last thing he should be doing was feeling good about himself. Yet he did. No doubt about it, Tony was still an asshole, but now it was clear as day that he hadn’t taken advantage of a poor, drunk kid. Loki definitely hadn’t been drunk when they had had sex. Now things were looking quite differently.

The kid had the typical wide, glassy eyes, his speech was slurred and he didn’t make the impression like he was able to walk a few steps in a straight line. No need to use some pretty words, Loki was totally plastered.

That was bad news. The 15 year old son of the boss trying to get into a party with important business guys… while being drunk. Tony couldn’t help to feel a little sick when he thought about all the stuff Loki dared saying completely sober. What would spill out off that damned mouth when he couldn’t control his tongue?

“I am not letting you go in there! You only want to cause trouble and father is already angry, because you didn’t show up on time.” Thor now was using his impressive physique to his advantage and had grabbed Loki’s arm. His brother tried resolutely to free himself, but he didn’t stand a chance. His disadvantage was quite obvious. “If I’m late… I should better get there…it’ll take only a minute… tell these arseholes to fuck themselves…”

Tony should still turn around and leave. This had nothing to do with him and he didn’t want to get involved in anything that had to do with Loki. On the other hand it was quite obvious that Thor didn’t know how to handle his little brother. Or a drunk teenager. There was nothing Tony knew better than drunk teenagers, he had spent most of his life being one. Normally he would have enjoyed a little scene at the party and telling assholes to go fuck themselves was a great idea, like Loki had put it so eloquently… but the small part of Tony’s soul which wasn’t completely black didn’t want Loki to get into trouble. If Borrson was anything like Howard, he’d ripped the poor kid apart.

Oh, he was so going to regret this.

“Hey, any way I can help you?”

Thor stared at him as if he had just been struck by a lightning. His entire composure told Tony that Thor was completely embarrassed by this situation and was probably wishing Tony hadn’t seen them. Well, too bad, now Tony was here and he would play their knight in shining armour.

Loki, being a little shit, used Thor’s confusion and got loose. Bad decision, he clearly overestimated his ability to stand on his own feet. Taking a single step Loki started sway dangerously and pretty much fell into Tony’s arms.

Fuck. That was awkward and horrible. Tony immediately started praying that Loki wouldn’t say anything that would make Thor kill Tony. “Whoa, slow down, kid. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Fuck you…” Loki’s words were terribly slurred and barely audible and Thor had obviously decided that it was better to accept Tony’s help and to act quickly. “He got drunk with a friend and father wanted him to be here about two hours ago. If he walks in there now…”

“Yeah, yeah, all hell will break loose. I know… I did something familiar when I was 17… that didn’t end pretty. My old man’s head almost exploded… and then he spent the next two years punishing me for it… however, I got it. He can’t walk in there.”

“Lemego…”

Sighing softly Tony did anything else but letting go of Loki who had stopped to fight to get free, he was rather leaning against Tony, because it was getting difficult to stand on his own. That sucked, especially since Tony was trying to avoid as much body contact as possible.

Thor was running on hand through his hair, taking a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do now. “I gotta bring him home, our father can’t see him like this.”

There was one big flaw in this plan, one terrible flaw. “If you try to get him home now, he’s going to puke in your car and your dad is going to notice that you’re gone too. Look at him, he’s not going anywhere. We need to sober him up…”

“How?”

“You’ve never been drunk before? I can…” Tony bit his lip. This was stupid, Steve was going to do terrible things to him if he was ever going to hear about this. By now it was too late, Tony was already involved and Thor was a worse boyscout than Steve, not knowing what to do with a drunk person… “You go back to the party, I’ll get him to my office and when he’s done throwing up, I’ll make him drink some coffee… coffee, good idea… Natasha is back in there, talking with the Russian bankers, tell her to get me some coffee. Hot and black. Right now.”

Thor turned out to follow orders quiet nicely, although it wasn’t hard to tell that he didn’t like the prospect of leaving his brother alone with Tony. Too bad, he didn’t have much of a choice and Loki’s mumbling showed the urgency of the situation. “I’m feeling sick…”

“Yeah, no surprise there… come on, kid…”

How was this Tony’s life?

At least Loki didn’t say a word or complain when Tony brought him to his office and thank god for the adjoining bathroom. “Okay, you did a good job at not puking on my shoes. They’re Italian leather… good job, but now you can throw up all you want…”

“Fuck you…”

Tony rolled his eyes and sat down on the floor next Loki and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Fine, he’d wait, just to make sure the kid wouldn’t die suffocating or some shit.

It took about two minutes then Loki was indeed throwing up and Tony felt the urge to hold his hair.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there,
> 
> Tony has to take care of a drunk Loki... what can possibly go wrong? :D

Thanks to Tony’s rebellious teenage years and twenties he had seen things way more disgusting. Still he was quite relieved when Loki was done and leaned his forehead against the cold porcelain of the toilet. Yep, a pose only too familiar to Tony. Now the kid really looked like shit, his skin even paler than usual. Tony didn’t envy him for the headache he was in for.

Getting up Tony reached for one of the glasses placed next to the sink and filled it with water before handing it to Loki. “Here, drink it. No discussion. It’ll help you… it’s a bit late, but you still gotta drink it.”

Shifting slowly Loki brought the glass to his lips and took the tiniest sip.

“Nah, all of it. Come on. We need you to get hydrated. It’ll make you feel better.” Tony was relentless and although Loki screwed his face up, he complied. When he swallowed the last drop of water Tony thought that Loki would throw up again, but luckily that didn’t happen.

“I feel like shit…” Loki groaned and Tony was tempted to laugh at this remark. “Not very surprising. You know it takes some experience to get drunk… to do it the right way. This wasn’t the right way and now you’re going to suffer for it. Now all we can do is wait and you gotta drink. Lots of water. When you think that you don’t have to throw up anymore, we’ll go over to coffee.”

They were in luck, Loki didn’t need to throw up anymore and three minutes later Natasha entered the scene. Thor must have told her what was going on, because she didn’t show any reaction whatsoever to see a drunk teenager on the floor of Tony’s bathroom. Instead he handed Tony the coffee and crouched down next to Loki. “Hey, god of mischief, what are you doing? You are smarter than that.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, it was easy to hear the affection in her voice, but Loki didn’t open his eyes to look at her. “Dying… feels like it.”

Natasha shook her head and turned to Tony. “I pretended that you got an important phone call and that you had to leave. Nobody will wonder if you don’t show up again at the party. It’s going to last for another couple of hours, if Loki is home before 4 o’clock, Borrson is not going to notice.”

“Thanks, Natasha.” Tony smiled at her and she shrugged it off. “I like that little troublemaker. I have to get back now. Call me, if you need my help.”

To be honest Tony would have felt better if she had stayed, but then it was again only him and Loki. Tony couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid. Hell, he had been 15 too and every normal 15-year old got drunk for the very first time. Life changing experience while partying with their friends. Unfortunately Tony was sure that Loki hadn’t got drunk, because he thought it was funny. That kid was having issues and he most probably hadn’t slept with Tony because of his irresistible charm.

“Natasha’s cool…”

“Yeah, she is… how you’re feeling, ready for some coffee?”

“I’m ready to die.”

“You’re not going to die, you’re just going to feel like shit for a while. Don’t even start on ‘you’re never going to drink again’, because you will. Everybody goes through that.” Tony didn’t give into the temptation to pat Loki’s shoulder. No more touching the kid.

Minutes passed slowly while none of them were saying a word, Loki was resting his face against the white porcelain and Tony tried to imagine what Loki would have done if Thor hadn’t stopped him from crashing the party. It would have been ugly, but 16 years ago Tony would have probably done the same. That would have been quite a disaster.

Finally Loki straightened up a little bit, wincing. “I’ll try that coffee now.”

Instantly Tony handed him the cup and Loki quickly took a sip before screwing completely his face up. He clasped one hand on his mouth, but luckily he was able to keep it down. Good sign.

It would be wrong to question a drunk kid, right? But Tony couldn’t sit here and do nothing for hours. “So… were you at a party? Or did you get drunk just to show up here?”

By now Tony was covering half his face with his hand. Didn’t stop him from mumbling an answer though. “I was out with Fandral… thought I could fuck up Odin’s day…”

That sounded terribly familiar.

“You know… you shouldn’t…”

“Stop talking, I can already smell the hypocrisy… fuck…”

He was right about that, so Tony shut up and watched Loki suffering. For about two minutes, then he began playing with his phone. If Loki would pass out and die from alcohol poisoning, he would notice. Hopefully.

“I wanna sleep…”

“Sure thing… you feel fit enough to walk?”

No response, instead Loki was taking another sip from the coffee, a slight tremble running through his body. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Told you – I’m dying…” Loki sounded indeed as if he was feeling like crap. “But I’m not gonna die on the bathroom floor.”

“Well, it’s a really nice bathroom…”

Loki didn’t answer, but he weakly raised his hand and gave Tony the finger. No, definitely not going to die and Tony couldn’t help but be amused. “Okay, you managed to keep the coffee down until now, I think that’s a good sign. The only way you’ll feel better is sleep… and a lot of painkillers. And you need to keep drinking. It’s too late to spare you the hangover, but maybe you won’t feel quite as horrible… Give me a second.”

Getting up from the floor Tony went into his office to get the empty plastic bottle he hadn’t bothered to throw away yesterday. Who would have thought that it’d be so useful tonight?

Loki was still in the same position when Tony came back and obviously didn’t bother when Tony filled the bottle with water. This was another stupid thing to do, but Tony couldn’t help it, he was a good guy. If he was going to do something stupid, it at least wouldn’t be some self-centred bullshit. “Here’s the plan… I’ll bring you home. You’ll drink this bottle, swallow some aspirin, then fall into bed and sleep it off. I’m going to text Thor to make sure he keeps your dad from checking on you. You’re okay with that? If you puke in my car, I’m going to throw you out.”

Cracking one eye open Loki seemed to ponder his possibilities. Tony hoped he wouldn’t try to nod, because that would probably give him nausea. “Fine…”

“Great… now get up.”

Getting up was of course fucking difficult and Tony had to support the kid which made him feel fucking uncomfortable. The whole way down the hallways, in the elevator and even in the garage Tony hoped that nobody would see them, because he was doing something amazingly stupid. At least Thor was in on it and Tony would be fine. Still, Tony’s heart was racing when he had put Loki in his car and left the garage. They drove in silence but every now and then Tony glanced at his passenger who was leaning against the door, looking asleep.

“Loki! Wake up! It’s too soon to sleep!”

He could hear the kid grumbling next to him.

“Now drink the water. You’ll thank me tomorrow.”

Quietly the kid was sipping on the bottle and Tony nodded contently. Again that feeling of pity was sneaking up on him. Something was definitely wrong with the kid if he felt the need to get drunk to ruin his dad’s day or to sleep around with older guys. Damn, Tony really hoped that he was the only guy over 20 Loki had been in bed with. This was one fucked up childhood and Tony knew everything about that.

Thor had sent him the directions to Borrson’s house on his phone and luckily it wasn’t so far. Tony had no words to describe how desperately he wanted to get Loki out of his car. By now the kid seemed to be asleep again and Tony didn’t bring himself to wake him up another time. About twenty minutes later Tony drove up in front of the gate to a huge mansion and sighed softly. Loki was still asleep and looking kind of cute. Tony would slap himself later for that thought. Reaching over he softly shook Loki’s shoulder, luckily enough to wake him up.

Loki grunted and shifted in his seat.

“Hey, we’re here. I just need the code to open the gate. Do me that favour.”

In response Loki mumbled a few numbers and Tony really hoped that he wasn’t too passed out to remember them correctly. They turned out to be the right ones and Tony continued to drive up to the house. “Okay, where’re here… can you get out or do you need my help?”

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

“Guess I’m fine… thanks…” Loki took his time to unbuckle his seatbelt and took a second to take a deep breath before opening the door. Yes, this kid would feel like hell tomorrow. Not saying another word Loki got out and shut the door behind him. Tony didn’t move until he saw Loki stumbling towards the front door. He seemed better than before though. Only when Loki disappeared into the house Tony started the engine again and drove off.

Fuck, he hadn’t expected his night to end like this.

Using the hands-free speaking system to call Thor Tony told him that Loki was at home and fine… and that he owed him. Thor was of course incredibly grateful and kept on thanking Tony what made him feel like shit, because he had let his kid brother suck his cock. Another reminder that Tony was an awful person and that knowledge suddenly bothered him.

Returning to the party was out of the question and Tony needed to talk to Steve. Right now. It took Steve almost about a fucking minute to answer that call, still sounding asleep. “Tony, have you any idea how late it is?”

“No and I don’t care. I need to talk to you instantly!”

Steve so obviously yawned and still managed it to sound pissed off. “It is three o’clock in the morning, Tony!”

“You and I need to talk!”

“Oh come on, you’re supposed to be at a party… you woke us up. Bucky is pretty angry…”

“Oh, fuck him. Tell him to go back to sleep, I want to talk to you, not to him!”

“Tony!” Steve sounded honestly outraged and Tony should have bitten his lip, but he was too worked up to do that. “What? I’ve called you in the middle of the night about five hundred times ago and it has never been an issue!”

The sudden pause told Tony that Steve had already run out of arguments. It was one of the great things about their friendship. They could call each other at any time, who would want to give up on that.

Uttering a sigh Steve probably shook his head. “Okay… what is going on? It’s in the middle of the night, what happened?”

Better. Way better. “I was at this party… Loki showed up. The kid was completely wasted and talked about wanting to piss off his father. Thor could stop him from crashing the party and… we tried to sober him up… then I drove him home.”

Another pause before Steve hissed into the phone. “What the… God, you didn’t do anything stupid right?”

Always thinking the worst of him… Well, Tony couldn’t be mad after his two sexual encounters with the kid. “No, I didn’t… I just drove him home and… I’m kind of feeling sorry for him. He is 15 years old, incredibly smart and his dad controls every single part of his life…”

“Kinda sounds familiar, huh?”

“Yeah… I like him… and in a few years he’s going to be just as fucked up as I am. That sucks…”

He heard Steve taking another deep breath. “Sorry Tony, but a 15 year-old that sleeps with guys twice as old as him or gets drunk to annoy his father… that already sounds kind of fucked up.”

Again, Tony couldn’t argue with that. “Yeah… listen… now I feel stupid for calling you… it’s not that important.”

“Hey, you feel sorry for this kid, I get that. You’re a nice guy, Tony and you relate to him… It’s totally okay to be worked up about this. You still shouldn’t become best friends with him…”

“I’m not planning on that. It’s just… his father is an a-hole and that’s pushing all of my buttons. It makes me angry… Nevermind. Go back to sleep. We’ll see each other tomorrow anyway.”

“Okay… it was nice of you to make sure the kid was okay.”

“Thanks… see you tomorrow.”

“Right, have a good night.”

 ***

“I must admit I didn’t expect this as a setting for a third date.”

“Well, you gotta know, I always have the greatest ideas and normally they aren’t very orthodox.” Tony flashed Pepper a smile while holding the door for her open. He could be a gentleman when he wanted to and today he was determined to present himself in the best possible manner. Pepper looked like a goddess in this white dress and Tony was eager to show Steve that he was dating a gorgeous, classy woman.

“I know, but I’m still surprised it’s a double date. With two gay men. That’s definitely a first one for me.” She didn’t sound uncomfortable with it at all, which reminded Tony of how important it was to not fuck this up.

“Steve is my best friend, so you can get used to him. No need to worry, he’s cool. If you don’t like his boyfriend, that’s cool.”

Oops, Tony shouldn’t have said that, but luckily Pepper thought it was amusing. “What? You don’t like him?”

No, Tony did like him. Sometimes. “Nah, he’s alright. He’s just a bit clingy and that’s annoying, but none of my business. How… I am already talking way too much and you haven’t even met them yet. Forget what I was saying. They’re right over there.”

It was pretty hard to overlook them, two very attractive men sitting at one table. As soon as Tony and Pepper would join them this table would be too gorgeous to stand. “Hey guys, I hope the wait wasn’t too long, but if we aren’t worth waiting for than nothing else is. This is the wonderful Pepper Potts. Pepper, the blonde supermodel on the left is Steve. The brunette supermodel on the right is James. Or Bucky. Whatever you prefer.”

Like polite little boys both of them got up to their feet to greet a lady.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Steve Rogers.” The same dazzling smile as usual and Steve was indeed very pleased to meet Pepper. Tony didn’t also miss the little glance that was probably supposed to tell him that Steve thought Pepper was beautiful. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

After Bucky had also introduced himself they all sat down and Tony thought that this started quite nicely. It seemed like Pepper was fitting in with them. Conversation was going easy and she liked Steve. Which was the most essential part. “I think it’s impressive that you are in the military. I have the biggest respect for people who choose this as their career.”

Steve was as modest as ever and someday Tony was going too smack him because of it. “I guess I just wasn’t talented enough to do anything else…”

“Oh stop it… He’s always saying that kind of stuff, don’t take him seriously. It just kills him to accept a compliment.” Bucky was smiling and looking at Steve with his big, pretty eyes. God, Tony hated people who acted like they were in love in public.

Shrugging softly Steve turned to Tony. “Maybe in my next life I am going to be the smart one and I’ll be running a company and making millions.”

“Little correction. I’m not running a company and I’m not making millions, I was born into a family who has millions, but yes. I am wicked smart.”

“What about you, Pepper? Oh sorry, is it okay to call you that?”

Pepper quickly nodded, the everlasting smile playing around her lips. “Sure. Tony made it up, but I like it. I guess there’s a good chance it’ll stick.”

“Okay… so what about you? Any plans about taking over the company you’re working for? Since Tony isn’t making any progress…”

Pepper made a pensive face and Tony wouldn’t be surprised if this was indeed her future project. After all she was the type of woman to have a five… if not ten year plan. There was no doubt she already had her entire career figured out. God thing Tony wasn't intimiated by ambitious women and women who could kick his ass were turning him on.

“I don’t intent to take the company over, but… I don’t plan on working there forever. The dream is of course to run my own business, but I guess I still have a long way ahead of me. Right now I’m comfortable with the position I have. I do a lot of business negotiations. Unfortunately it’s not always as much fun as with Tony.”

Bucky chuckled and now Tony felt the urge to smack him. “Well, I can imagine that…”

For the first time Pepper’s smile faded a bit and was replaced by a slight flush. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like…”

“Don’t worry, he’s only joking.” Steve instantly reassured her and Tony mentally kicked himself for not coming up with something smart. Instead he decided to smile at Pepper and hoped that it would be enough. Surprisingly it indeed seemed to suffice and Pepper looked relieved.

When she excused herself later for a moment Steve barely waited until she was out of earshot. “Tony, she is wonderful! Whatever you do, make her stay!”

Bucky was sipping on his glass of wine and nodded. “Yeah, she’s classy, smart and can take a joke. Good work there, Tony.”

Steve complimenting him was fine, Bucky was just weird. “I know. What do you think? Does she secretly hate me and only wants my money or does she want my money and thinks I’m not so bad.”

Instead of answering Bucky rolled his eyes and Steve chuckled. “Come on, she obviously likes you. I don’t think she’s the kind of woman that would waste her time hanging out with a guy who she can’t stand. She does like you.”

Yeah and that was thrilling and scary at the same time. Especially since Tony had still no idea what to do. “Cool, I just wanted to make sure that you think she’s cool.”

Again Steve smiled encouragingly and then turned to Bucky, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Annoying. Damn, he’d like to make out too.

The rest of dinner went over quiet nicely. Tony had fun and Pepper definitely had passed his little – ‘Steve has to like her’ test. Sometime before the desert Tony decided that he should stop acting like such a coward. A beautiful woman who was crazy enough to like him. Maybe she also wanted to upset her dad.

During the whole drive to Pepper’s apartment Tony was trying to come up with some smart and clever line. Normally that wasn’t so difficult.

“Thanks for bringing me home… any chance you want to come inside and have glass of wine?”

Okay, now she was inviting him in? Tony definitely was too slow tonight. “Sure… yeah… that’d be great.

Pepper’s apartment was beautiful, Tony liked it. The wine was good, he liked it too and why the hell was he nervous about this?

“I gotta admit I was a little bit sceptical about this double date, but I enjoyed it quite a lot. Your friends are lovely. I had a great time.” The smile on her lips was incredibly sweet and Tony asked himself how many people had actually looked at him like this. Couldn’t be that many.

“Glad to hear you say that. I made sure the guys were at their best behaviour. That was some hard work… When are you going to invite me to meet your lesbian friends?”

Laughing softly Pepper first shrugged, then shook her head. “Sorry, I fear I don’t have any. Not that I know of.”

Screwing his face up Tony released a long sigh. “Big mistake. You can’t just say that to a guy. That’s just harsh. We’re always eager to meet lesbian friends.”

“Oh, I am sure of that. Does that mean I have to find myself some lesbian friends now?”

“Hundreds of them…” Tony smirked. “Oh, it’s no obligation. If there are no lesbian friends, you could introduce me to another glass of wine.”

Pepper agreed that this was a good idea and Tony hoped that she didn’t think he was getting drunk on purpose so he wouldn’t be able to drive home. Actually that sounded like a pretty creative idea.

“Tony, there’s a good chance that I might offend you, but I can’t help but asking.” Her expression had changed, it seemed almost shy, but still sweet. Tony could get used to this face.

Leaning back Tony made a gesture that indicated her to continue talking. “Give it a try. I’m not easily offended.”

After hesitating for a second Pepper started talking again and Tony was pretty sure he already knew the point she was going to make. “Okay, not that there’s anything wrong with it, but… isn’t it rather unusual to have a gay best friend? For a straight guy, I mean. Yes, that sounds stupid…”

“No, it doesn’t. I don’t know about most straight guys in the world. I don’t think it’s that important. Steve is a great guy, that’s why he’s my best friend. We don’t really have a gay-straight dynamic anyway. It’s rather a gay-bisexual dynamic… Is that a problem?” Tony said it as casually as possible, already fairly sure that Pepper wouldn’t mind.

For a fleeting moment she raised one of her eyebrows the slightest bit, but then the surprise was already gone. “Oh… well, I think I can remember a few papers speculating. Of course it’s not a problem. It’d be a problem if I was having a problem with it… am I making any sense now?”

She was cute when she was babbling, so Tony only answered with a smile.

“I never mess up during business negotiations, but in private I’m babbling and messing up all the time. It’s weird.”

Not really, Tony was messing up all the time, he knew a thing or two about that. “Well, we could stop talking if it’s getting too complicated.”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”

 ***

Tony Stark had a girlfriend. He was the one most surprised by this and there was no question he was going to fuck it up, but… until then he could enjoy it. Pepper was beautiful, funny, she liked Steve and she thought that sex on the third date was absolutely okay. The sex itself was more than just okay.

So Tony was… happy? That was weird. Wasn’t probably going to last long, but for now Tony felt good. About himself and about his private life.

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him when he came into the office, but since she was Natasha and way too smart she instantly figured him out. Instead of making some funny remark she just winked at him and Tony felt the strange need to fistbump her.

Even the stupid files looked a lot better today and Bruce left him a message that they should talk about that hologram project. Now it was getting scary. Tony was having a real good day.

That’s why he wasn’t surprised when there was a knock on his door and Loki walked into his office. Bad sign and typical. The second Tony got into a serious relationship, the kid was waltzing in here. Irony tasted so sweet. He wasn’t going to admit that the kid was freaking him out. Never.

“I am not disturbing you, am I?”

Not sounding cocky. Interesting. Loki was looking good. That drunk, dishevelled kid was gone, replaced by a beautiful, striking, young man. Dark jeans, a black knee-lengthed coat / blazer… thing and a blue shirt with the anarchy logo on it. His hair was brushed back behind his ears and all that dark clothing was really making his eyes standing out. So green they had to be poisonous.

“Actually I’m trying to get some work done.”

“It won’t be taking long.”

“Fine… what’s up?” Tony cleared his throat, but didn’t put his pencil away or turned away from the computer. Yes, he was very capable of multitasking.

Loki walked a few steps up to Tony’s desk, but then he just stopped. Tony was having trouble believing it, but it almost seemed as if the kid was nervous and didn’t know what to do. “I just thought I should show up and… well thank you for Friday night. What you did was very nice and I… thank you.”

Keep it cool, Tony. Don’t show him how amazed you are that this kid is actually able to say ‘thank you’. “You’re welcome. Didn’t you want to pass out on the floor, that’s all.”

“Nah… you stopped me from getting in a lot of trouble with Odin. Of course I still got in trouble, but it wasn’t the giant clusterfuck it would have been. In retrospect I’m glad I avoided that.”

Cool, good conversation. Perfect. Bye Bye. He wanted to thank Tony and he had just done that. Time to le him go. “You could have easily avoided that also if you hadn’t got completely shitfaced.”

Wow, Tony, good job. Your brain still isn’t connected to your mouth. Loki narrowed his eyes the slightest bit and Tony asked himself if he was going to start sulking. “Come on, don’t act like you’re offended or anything.”

“I am not offended. You gotta know yourself what you’re doing. I was just trying to give you a piece of advice. I have no idea what’s going on in your head and I don’t think I want to know about all that teenage drama. If I were you I would try not to upset my dad too much. That’s all going to come back and bite you in the ass.”

Seriously, this was the best advice Loki was ever going to get and yet he looked so tempted to roll his eyes. “Odin can go fuck himself, I’m not scared of him.”

“That’s stupid. Your father is…”

“He is not my father and he can go fuck himself.”

Fine, enough. Third time is a charm. This time Tony was going to ask. “I’ll take the bite. What is all this ‘He’s not my father’ talk about?”

Now he was indeed rolling his eyes. “I don’t think I have to explain to you the concept about the birds and the bees.”

Smartass. Tony already felt fucking stupid for asking. “Thank you for the enlightenment then.”

“You see Odin and Thor everyday. Big, blonde and blue-eyed. Like my mother. Don’t you see the family resemblance?” Loki pointed at his own face and Tony realised that he was having a point. He had never seen Loki’s mother, but he did look nothing like his brother or Odin. Still that didn’t have to mean anything. “I am not an expert on genetics, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have to inherit your parents’ eye or hair colour.”

Loki huffed in response. “Whatever… I was here to thank you. I did that. Have a nice day.” Turning around on his heels Loki walked towards the door and Tony proved another time that he was a stupid moron. “You are a smart kid. Why are you purposely trying to fuck up?”

His hand was already on the doorknob, but Loki hesitated. “I am Loki, god of mischief. That’s what I am doing.”

“Cool, I’m Tony. God of… making stupid decisions and looking awesome in a suit and I also have an asshole for a father. It’s not worth getting in trouble for.”

“Not if you want to be kicked out…” Loki mumbled that mostly to himself and Tony felt like be was being punched in the gut. A feeling that was hard to describe, but generally it sucked to find out that a 15 year-old was braver than him.

No… that was all just talk. Loki was still a kid who acted all tough and who had admittedly some edges, but his age betrayed him. Most probably he liked playing with the fire, but the second Odin would threaten to throw him out Loki would back off. Sure…

“You just gotta wait three years, then you can do what you want…”

Loki turned around before Tony could even bite his tongue. How fucking stupid was he? Hopefully Loki hadn’t… Of course he had. The glimmer in his eyes said all and way more than Tony needed to know. A faint smile appeared on Loki’s face and this very second he didn’t look like a teenager at all. “Do what I want you say? Everything I want? I can think of a few things that I’d like to do…”

A shiver was running down Tony’s spine and he hated himself for it and he desperately wished that Loki wouldn’t notice. “Loki, we are so over that.” Good, his voice sounded hard and even the slightest bit bored. Great, he still could do something right.

Not looking too disappointed Loki shrugged. “It’s not true anyway. How old are you? 30? You don’t do what you want and the one time you did it… you backed off like a coward. No offense, but you aren’t my personal rolemodel in this department. Have a nice day, Mr. Stark.”

He slammed the door shut behind him and Tony released a long sigh. That had been weird and unsettling. First the kid had shown up to thank him and he left with calling Tony a coward. Normally Tony didn’t give a shit about what other people said or thought about him, but for some reason that single word was upsetting him.

The truth hurt, didn’t it? Tony was too scared to just walk away. Although he didn’t have lots of fond memories from his childhood, he had been born into a world of luxury and he had received the most expensive and best education there was. Tony was used to the best laboratories and equipment in the world and he wanted to work in one of them. Problem was Howard wouldn’t let him use his. If Tony was going to work away, Howard would make sure that Tony would never set a foot in any lab in the entire world… Still Tony was a coward. He didn’t even try…

Was he really pondering about what a spoiled 15 year-old was saying? Loki didn’t know anything. Nothing about Tony and nothing about real life. Tony had fucked him one single time and because he was an idiot and a bit of a pervert he had let the kid suck his cock. That was all Loki knew. Yeah, it was enough to get Tony into prison, he had no idea what was going on in Tony’s head.

Shrugging it off Tony turned back to his work and thought about tonight. Pepper and him were going to the movies. Steve and him were going to meet for lunch tomorrow and Bruce and him would meet up in the lab afterwards. Life had thrown him a bone, he had no time to think about the kid or his green eyes.

At least that was Tony’s plan. A big blonde thunderstorm made that pretty impossible though. Thor showed up about half an hour after Loki had. He was in a way better mood, that was for sure. “I wanted to call you yesterday, but then I though I should better thank you in person. You took care of Loki and…”

“No big deal, Thor, really. He’s 15, he fucked up. When I was 15 I did that all the time, so I knew what to do. That’s about it.”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to drive him home. That was very nice and… I’m really grateful.” Tony hoped that Thor would just leave again, but unfortunately he sat rather comfortable in his chair. “I owe you a big favour and I am really sorry that Loki ruined the night for you…” Thor trailed off and he got that faraway look on his face that told Tony that he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon…

Just great…

“Loki is having a difficult time and unfortunately he chose a very… unfortunate way to deal with it. I can’t apologize enough on his behalf…”

“Don’t worry… he was here about half an hour ago.”

Thor’s eyes lit up. “Really? Did he apologize?”

“Uhm… he said thank you?”

“Oh… well, better than nothing. He should have apologized though. He’s… you don’t have any brother or sisters, right?”

No, Howard had decided to only fuck up Tony’s life. “I am an only child.”

Thor nodded and Tony thought he looked kind of envious. “I am 15 years older than him, I feel responsible for him and… that shouldn’t have happened. I don’t want you to think that he acts all the time like that. He’s… going through a difficult time.”

Keep your mouth shut, Tony. Don’t say anything. Shut up. None of your business. “Difficult time, he hates your father’s guts.”

Wonderful. Just great. You idiot.

Luckily Thor didn’t snap or anything. “He’s… he doesn’t agree a lot with father at the moment. That’s true…”

This whole conversation was god’s punishment for sleeping with a minor. Since this couldn’t get any worse… “Loki isn’t… adopted by any chance?”

Mistake. Big mistake. Thor narrowed his eyes and Tony had probably lost all his bonus points now. “Where did you get that idea from? It’s ridiculous.”

“Loki said something like that when he was drunk. That Odin wasn’t his father…”

Rubbing one hand over his face Thor shook his head. “Okay… there is no way to sugarcoat this… Loki has big issues with our father. He has come up with that story himself. I am not really sure if Loki believes it himself, but he is insisting on being adopted… It’s ridiculous. He definitely shouldn’t have told you that.”

Damn, the kid seemed to be having even more issues than Tony. Good thing that it was none of his business.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Tony meets an old friend and... Loki made some new ones?
> 
> Have fun :D

“Then she said that it was totally okay to postpone our evening, because she doesn’t want me to mess with things I’ve been doing all along just because of her. Pepper is just awesome! Why don’t you like women, Steve?” Tony was sipping on his orange juice and Steve continued to smile, while chewing on his pancakes.

“I like women very much. I just don’t like to sleep with them.”

“That’s so sexist.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Of course it is! The only reason you don’t want to sleep with them is their lack of penises. Most sexist thing I’ve ever heard.” Tony took a sip from his coffee and Steve almost choked on his pancakes, because he couldn’t suppress another laugh. “Yap, you caught me. I promise I’ll start working on myself to become a better person.”

“Very good, Steve. I’m proud of you. Where was I before I started pointing out your offensive sexism? Right, I was talking about how Pepper is awesome.” So much awesomeness in Tony’s life should him get worried, but until now he had been able to enjoy it. Being an optimist was rather refreshing.

“I know she is great. I’ve met her. Bucky likes her too. He also thinks that she’s out of your league.” Steve smirked teasingly and Tony couldn’t tell why, but his mood instantly wasn’t quite as great anymore. No, that was a lie, the reason was quite obvious. “Very nice of Bucky. He doesn’t play in the same league as you either.”

Steve laughed amusedly, shaking his head and Tony was tempted to tell him that this wasn’t supposed to be a joke. Yes, Bucky was good-looking, but Steve had a league of his own. “All I wanted to say is that she’s lovely… and she has a lot more class than the last girl you’ve been with.”

Grinning Tony remembered her tattoos and that tongue piercing. Yeah, she had been a lot of fun. God, Howard had hated her… “Fuck…”

The different sound of his voice made Steve raise his eyebrows. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I just realised that Howard will probably like Pepper.” He couldn’t help but putting a little bit of disappointment in his voice and Steve instantly turned even more serious. “Tony, don’t you even dare to think about it.”

“What? I haven’t said anything!”

“No, but you were already thinking about how terrible it would be to do something that your father approves of. You like Pepper, she is great. That’s all that matters. Don’t even start thinking about dumping her, because your dad might actually invite both of you over for dinner.”

Tony’s eyes went wide. “Oh god! Thanks, Steve. Now I’ll be hunted by nightmares for at least a week… Okay, I’ll just have to stop Howard from finding out. I’ll have Natasha working out something for me. Good plan. I hope… Now let’s talk about something else. Instantly.”

Steve still looked sceptical, but then he nodded. “Bucky and I are going on a trip this weekend. We’ve rented a little house in the Hamptons. I’m so looking forward to it.” A big, dreamy smile appeared on Steve’s face and Tony wished they could go back to talk about whether Howard would like Pepper or not. Little lover’s trip over the weekend… disgustingly sweet. “That’s so cliché…”

“Yeah, but we both like it and with our jobs it’s kind of hard to find a weekend where we both don’t have to work. It’s our first trip together, so I am excited. I think it’s great that things seem to work out for all of us. You met a great woman, Bucky and I are…”

“I got it. Don’t jinx us, Steve.” Tony did his best to smile and couldn’t help but ask himself why it was so hard for him. After all Steve was right, they were doing fine. Both of them in a steady relationship. Not with each other. Tony’s job wasn’t quite pissing him off right now and Steve had never had trouble in that department. They were good. Only Bucky was an idiot who had issues with Tony using his key for Steve’s apartment and answering Steve’s call. Seriously, who did that? Probably he thought he could do anything he wanted, because he was hot.

But he wasn’t Tony, so that wasn’t the same.

“What are you thinking about?” Steve was frowning at him and Tony felt trapped. ‘I was cursing your boyfriend’ didn’t seem like an appropriate answer. Well, until this very day Steve had never had much luck with relationships, so maybe Tony didn’t have to worry about that so much anymore soon.

Tony felt a sudden sting and he was disgusted with himself. Had he ever had a more selfish thought in his entire life? Steve was happy so it didn’t matter what anybody else thought. Least of all Tony. Okay, not least of all, he was his best friend and knew a thing or two. If Steve was happy, Tony was feeling happy too. It was that simple.

“Nothing, really. I hope you’ll have a nice trip, but don’t forget your fucking phone. I’ll probably be calling you five times a day, because I’ll definitely fuck something up while you’re gone.”

It was obvious that Steve didn’t know if he should laugh or take him seriously and that made him uncomfortable. So Tony made it easier for him and started chuckling. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure I can do a weekend without you. Didn’t we just say that everything seems to work out just fine for us? I’m sure it’ll stay like that for a few more days. Do you want more pancakes? I want more pancakes.”

 ***

Pepper was beautiful. A fact that Tony had known all along, but in this very moment it was so terribly in your face obvious that he couldn’t think about anything else. Waking up in the morning next to her was nice, finding out that she actually like morning sex was awesome. Now Tony was still lying there in silent bliss watching Pepper who was sitting on the edge of the bed, slipping a T-shirt on. Her back was marvellous, lean, white, gorgeous skin and her hair was softly falling over her shoulders.

This woman was smart, classy and beautiful. Tony had finally done something right and wondered just the slightest little bit what she wanted with a fuck-up like him.

Sitting up Tony pressed a kiss on the back of her neck. “I feel a lot like missing out on work and stay in bed the whole day. Interested?”

Because Pepper was smart, she only laughed softly and turned her head to peck him on the lips. “You are a grown man, you can do anything you want. I still gotta go to work and kick some ass.”

“You could stay here and kick my ass…”

Amused she shook her head and instead of telling him that she was into that kind of stuff, Pepper got up to her feet. “Maybe tonight. I’ll be late though. The whole day is going to be filled with lots of negotiations.”

Sprawling out on the bed again, because there was no reason to get up Tony sighed. “You’re going to make your company a fortune.”

“That’s the plan and you should go to work too. That will pass you the time till tonight.”

“But I suck at my job. It’s not as much fun as yours.”

Pepper looked down at him and her expression was supposed to be scowling, but Tony didn’t miss how she was checking him out lying there in all his naked glory. “Then make it fun. I’m going to have some breakfast. You’re coming?”

Again, Pepper was beautiful and classy, so Tony resisted to say the pun out loud and instead actually got up from the bed.

All in all, it was a great morning and since Pepper’s place was close to Borrson Corp. Tony could take his time and he still got there early. Natasha was coming down with the flu, so she refused to talk to him and wrote him little hilarious notes which Tony found extremely entertaining. About four hours into work she opened the door to his office without knocking and held up a sheet of paper.

_Business partner of Borrson wants to see you. Says he knows you_

Why wouldn’t she write who it was if Tony was supposed to know them? That could only mean that Tony was in for quite a surprise. This was a good day, so Tony decided to be optimistic. “Then let him in.”

Natasha turned the sheet around and revealed the words _Good choice._

She disappeared and made room for a handsome guy who indeed looked familiar. Judging by the smile he was wearing on his lips, he definitely knew Tony, but that narrowed it down to about one million people.

“Wow, seeing you really does make me feel old… and you don’t recognize me. I am deeply hurt, Tony.”

After hearing him talk with that deep voice it took Tony about three seconds to feel like back in school. When they had been the nightmare of every single teacher. “Holy shit… Erik! Where in life did you go wrong to end up here?”

Tony was immediately out off his chair, pulling Erik in a tight hug. How weird to finally have a person in this office he actually wanted to see. Erik was laughing, patting his back, smiling brightly at him. “Business… whatever… nobody cares about that. When I heard that you were working here, I had to see for myself if it was true. You haven’t changed a bit… except for the facial hair. Really? When did that happen? You still had the face of a baby when we were sixteen…”

“I look awesome, thank you for noticing. Fuck, it has been ages. How long? Sixteen years?”

Erik nodded without hesitation. “Pretty much.”

Incredible that Tony hadn’t seen his former good friend in such a long time. “Right, we haven’t seen each other since you were kicked you out off school for…” Oh, right. How could Tony forget about such a tiny little detail… which had been the only topic of conversation at their school for an entire year.

“… knocking up the principal’s daughter. Don’t tell me you forgot about that.”

“Well, after finishing school I had a few pregnancy scares myself, so…” Tony smirked and shrugged. “Anyway… how is your kid?” It was the appropriate thing to ask, right? He couldn’t just ignore that tiny little detail.

In response Erik was shaking his head, a smile on his lips that made Tony think that he had said something stupid. “Kids. She had twins.”

“Fuck me, you don’t just half ass things, do you? How are your twins then?”

“Great. Thank you. Nice that you ask.”

Tony was doing the maths in his head and suddenly felt strangely sick. “Oh god, you have two kids… who are 15 years old? Damn, you make me feel old!”

Erik smirked and then casually shrugged. “No reason to feel old… When I was 15, I was too stupid to use a fucking condom. Doesn’t make you old, makes me stupid. They’re teenagers now, can’t imagine life without them. When I show up at one of these parent-teacher conferences, everybody stares at me, thinking I am in the wrong room. I’m ten years younger than most of them and that kind of makes me feel good. Hey, you can get out of here? Grab some lunch? I’m sure we’ll have plenty of stuff to talk about. You’ll tell me about all that crazy stuff you’ve done when you were in you were 17 while I was busy changing diapers.”

Oh, Tony had an endless amount of stories and he didn’t give a fuck about doing his job right, so he simply grabbed his jacket and left with Erik. They spent the next two hours eating sushi and sharing anecdotes. To Tony it felt like they had never lost touch, they still had the same sense of humour and Erik was eager to hear stories of Tony’s rather wild youth. He didn’t pretend that he didn’t feel bad about missing out on so much, yet on the other hand he was only 31 now and his kids were teenagers. Erik wasn’t too old yet to have some fun and as Tony found out, he wasn’t married nor had a girlfriend.

When Tony mentioned Pepper Erik’s mouth fell open. “Really? You?”

“What? Is it so hard to believe that I am in a relationship?”

Laughing softly Erik shook his head. “Nope, but I’ve always thought that you were… Well, gay.”

Tony couldn’t help it and burst out laughing, the nonchalant way Erik said this was just too funny. “You thought I was gay?”

“Yeah, I know you were dating that cute blond girl, but it was impossible to miss you checking out Jason in the dressing room. It was so fucking obvious, I thought you had to come out sooner or later.”

Oh, Tony remembered Jason. God, that guy had been hot… blond, blue-eyed… a fucking Disney Prince. Tony wondered how he might be doing now. Married and probably bald. “No, not quite. I like women, but I like guys too. When I was about 17 I figured there was no reason to choose…”

“That sounds a lot like a threesome.”

“No, that happened later. Ha, college was great…” With a dreamy smile on his lips Tony checked his watch and Erik got the wrong impression. “You gotta get back?”

“Nah, fuck my job. What about you? Negotiations already done? I hope you’re screwing Borrson over.”

Again Tony found his opinion on Borrson confirmed when Erik didn’t seem the least bit surprised. Instead he let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “We did our best, but damn this guy is hard to talk to. Our families can’t stand each other, he’s had a lot of trouble with my dad… probably because of some shady business and he kept looking at me like he wanted to squash me like an insect. It was so freaking hard to get into the conversation, until I found out that our kids go to the same school. Finally something to small talk about… “ Erik sighed, shaking his head and Tony suddenly asked himself if the fish hadn’t been just raw but also rotten.

No, that wasn’t the reason why he was feeling like throwing up. “Your kids are visiting the same school as Loki?”

“Yeah, that was kinda awkward though. Borrson is what? 60? 65 years old? I’m fucking half his age and our kids go to the same school.”

“Stop talking about that. It’s too weird… Listen, maybe I should get back to my office after all before Natasha reports me missing.”

Though clearly surprised Erik agreed and Tony was longing for a bottle of vodka. What was this shit about? Tony had done his best to act like a decent human being. He had a girlfriend who was his age, he tried to avoid the 15 year old that was driving him crazy… and life was bluntly rubbing the fact in his face that Tony was a fucking pervert. Seriously! Tony hadn’t seen Erik in 15 years! Now he was waltzing in here, having twins who were 15 years old and were going to the same school as Loki.

That fucking number 15 was hunting him.

“Listen, this was really fun. We should definitely meet up again.”

Sure, but don’t introduce me to your kids, I might end up sleeping with them…

They exchanged their phone numbers and Tony went back to work although he was only staring at the screen of his computer for the rest of the day. Tony himself couldn’t imagine having a kid right now. Not a one year old and especially not a fucking teenager. He felt way too young for that and then there was Erik who knocked up a girl when he had been… a fucking teenager. Until now Tony hadn’t considered himself old enough for being Loki’s…

No, no fucking hell.

Grabbing his stuff Tony told Natasha that he wasn’t feeling fine and rushed out. In the car Tony instantly called Steve, cursing him inwardly for taking so long to answer his fucking a call. Couldn’t he hear that Tony was having a crisis? Again?

“Sorry, Tony, now isn’t a good…”

“Steve, this is fucking emergency! Whatever you are doing stop it! I am losing my fucking mind!”

His yelling was good for something. Half a second of silence, then Steve cleared his throat. “Okay, what happened?”

Sighing in relief Tony tried to calm himself down enough to get a normal sentence out. “Have I ever told you about Erik? Guy who went to school with me?”

As always Steve was actually thinking, trying to remember, so he didn’t immediately answer. “I don’t know… was he your boyfriend?”

“No! He was a good friend, cool guy… He was kicked out off school, because he knocked up the principal’s daughter.”

“Yeah, that sounds like the kind of guy you would be friends with. So?”

“I haven’t seen him in years… not since he left school and now he is doing business with Borrson and I find out that he’s a father of twins. Twins who are fucking 15 years old and go to the same school as Loki! What the hell is the universe going to tell me?!”

Tony was half a minute away from a panic attack and Steve was taking his sweet time. “Nothing. They have the same age. It’s a coincidence. Tony, I don’t see the problem here. You mind explaining it to me?”

Taking a deep breath Tony tried to concentrate on the road while explaining his pretty obvious problem. How couldn’t Steve get it? Nothing could be simpler. “A friend I went to school with has two kids… who go to school with a… with Loki who I’ve had sex with. They are all 15 years old. I could have fucked… my friend’s kid. Something is seriously wrong with me… It’s like… Erik has two 15 year old kids and he’s my age. I could have a kid that is 15 years old…”

“Tony, stop. This is ridiculous…” Tony told himself that Steve’s frustrated sigh was a good sign. Hopefully. “You told me what happened and I know you. You aren’t into kids or teenagers. You didn’t sleep with him, because he is 15, but you… Because you like doing stupid things and you liked the way he looked and talked… and your friend only has teenage kids, because he made them when he was also a teenager. Forget about that. It’s been months. You have a girlfriend and you aren’t into teenagers. I saw the people you dated, Tony… Stop beating yourself up about it.”

There was a smile on Steve’s face, Tony didn’t have to see him to know that. Maybe he was right… Tony had thought that Loki was 17 and he had picked him up, because he had wanted to do something that would give Howard a heart attack. “I could have a 15 year old kid.”

“Like every other man on earth who has had sex 15 years ago. Stop going crazy, Tony. It was one time. It was a single mistake. Granted, a very stupid mistake, but it doesn’t define who you are. I’m honestly surprised that it’s bothering you so much…”

Because of that. Because Steve thought that it had only been one time and Tony was a coward, so he hadn’t told him about the one time he had let Loki suck his cock. At least Tony could see that Steve was right about one point, anyone could have a 15 year old kid and that was no reason to go crazy. “Okay, I’m trying to get a grip…”

“Great. I gotta go anyway, Bucky is waiting for me and…”

Tony rolled his eyes and instantly stopped listening. Until Steve said goodbye and told Tony to take care, they would meet up tomorrow. Hopefully Tony would get over his crazy by then. He felt restless, he needed something to do, no matter what. Also Tony realised that he had no desire to go home or to Pepper’s place. Something to keep his mind busy, that was what he needed, instantly. Sighing softly Tony made another call.

“Tony, what can I do for you?”

“Hey, Bruce… listen… any chance I come over and help you with anything in the lab?”

Bruce laughed in response, not sounding surprised in the slightest. “Most of the staff is already gone and I don’t have any plans for tonight, so… why not. I have one condition though.”

Right now Tony was pretty much willing to offer anything, he just needed something to take his mind of teenagers, kids, fathers, Steve and… his life in general. “Spill.”

“Bring some food.”

Laughing in response Tony nodded. “On my way.”

Half an hour later Tony joined Bruce in the lab and they were tinkering with all kinds of technology. Tony was feeling better by the second. This was where he belonged, with his hands buried in wires, cables, hard ware, screws, bolts… anything. He loved everything about it, building a car or high processing computers. Didn’t matter if it was necessary to use force and strength or finesse. In a lab with a hammer, a screwdriver or any tool in his hand Tony was creating something. It was a beautiful, honest work. When you were done you could see the result of what you’ve done. Not signing papers and ruining lives, but creating something that could do good or at least to be of use.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but… you don’t look so good. Are you alright?” Bruce was smiling, but his concern was real. Tony’s first reaction was to dismiss it and to better control his demeanour, but it felt wrong. They may not know each other so well, but Bruce was most definitely a friend. Tony didn’t have many of those and that was partly his own fault, partly his own choice. Yet he liked Bruce and he was very grateful that he could actually be here. Also Tony just wasn’t used to somebody asking how he was doing except for Steve. “I’ve had a rough day… nothing too spectacular, but…” Trailing off Tony shrugged.

At first Bruce only reacted with a nod and let pass a few minutes before asking another question. “If you want to talk about it, I am a good listener… also it’s weird to no have you talk.”

Holding back a smirk Tony sighed. “Yeah, that’s usually putting people off… I fucked up a few things ago, did a thing I’m not too proud of. Today I met a friend I haven’t seen in years and he said something that reminded me of what I had done… Since then I’m not thinking about anything else. It sucks that I’m such an idiot I ruin that meeting weeks in advance… and I can’t stop beating myself up about it…”

Bruce was smart, he didn’t ask what Tony had done, it was fairly obvious that he didn’t want to mention it and therefore none of the story made any sense. Still Bruce was slowly nodding. “I know that kind of feeling. You think that you left something behind you and then out of nowhere it comes back and doesn’t leave you alone. Today it might seem like you won’t be able to think about anything else for days, but… I’m sure tomorrow it’ll look completely different. Anyway… I guess you came here to distract yourself, so we should talk about something else, right?”

An honest smile appeared on Tony’s lips and he appreciated Bruce even more now. “Thanks… I just fear that I’m not good at coming up with conversation topics today.”

Shrugging Bruce continued to smile and it was so different from Tony’s. Rather soft than joyful. As if this was Bruce’s general attitude towards life. Smile first, if things turned sour, there was still enough time to sulk, cry or growl. “Maybe I can be of some help… there was something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Yeah? Spit it out.”

Tony didn’t miss the slight hesitation, but Bruce’s expression didn’t falter, so he didn’t give it much thought.

“Your assistant… Natasha. This sounds completely weird… do you know if she’s seeing somebody?”

The screwdriver almost slid from Tony’s hand and he instantly sat up straight. What? His mouth may have dropped open and Bruce was actually blushing. Well, Tony definitely hadn’t expected that. Natasha was an incredibly attractive woman, sure, but she was also clearly fierce and had a temper while Bruce seemed to be the calmest person on earth. “Uhm, yes, actually. I’ve met her boyfriend. Nice guy, he teaches material arts…”

A little bit embarrassed Bruce laughed and lowered his eyes. “I see. It’s not surprising, she is lovely. A pity…”

He didn’t seem to distraught, so Tony thought it was okay to make a joke. “I could take a look into her file and find out if she has a sister…”

“Oh, don’t you dare.” Bruce was shaking his head, but he hadn’t missed the jovial tone in Tony’s voice. “You’ll think I have nothing else to talk about than gossip and romances… but the lab guys always are the last ones to hear the rumours.”

“I don’t hear any rumours which sucks… Maybe I should start spreading some. Hey, did you hear that cute chick from human resources is sleeping with the ginger from IT?”

“I have no idea who you mean and that’s a very tame rumour.”

“Right, I’ll come up with something better. Hey, are there any rumours about me?” Tony asked this as casually as possible. Trying not to add some remark like ‘Something about me sleeping with the kid of the big boss? You know the one who is only 15 years old?’.

Bruce huffed and made a dismissive gesture. “Only that you don’t like Borrson, but everybody feels the same way… so…”

“That’s not a rumour. It’s the truth.”

“Nobody likes Borrson, Tony. Not even his own kids. Well, maybe Thor, who knows… Loki downright despises him.”

This time Tony actually dropped the screwdriver and the horrible sound when it landed on the floor made him flinch. Why couldn’t he get a break? This whole thing seemed to be a circle. Who would have thought that fucking a teenager wouldn’t leave him alone…

“Loki?” Hopefully his voice wasn’t shaking.

If so Bruce didn’t seem to notice, but his eyes were lingering on the screwdriver on the floor which Tony quickly picked up. “Yeah, the kid was here yesterday, you know Borrson still wants him to get to know the entire company. It’s really strange… he’s very smart, you don’t have to explain anything twice, but he doesn’t care about any of this. So I get it, I would be furious with my dad too if he tried to push me towards a career that I had no interest in…”

Yes, that sounded strangely familiar. “Did he say anything? I mean… is he running around the lab and tells everybody that he hates his dad?”

“Pretty much. He doesn’t hold back…” Chuckling softly Bruce met Tony’s eyes which caused a shiver running down Loki’s back. “… and he doesn’t care who hears it. I guess he actually wants someone to tell Borrson. That’s more than the average teenage rebellion. So I guess you don’t have to worry about disliking Borrson, it’s a big club.”

Definitely and Loki was the fucking president, therefore Tony had no interest in joining. “You know all that talk about work is quite frustrating. What do you do when you are not here playing god or mad scientist?”

Bruce and him ended up in bar two hours later, still talking about everything and nothing. Mostly about the hologram technology they would love to realise. They only went home shortly before midnight and Tony congratulated himself, because Bruce was a great guy and Tony definitely considered him a friend now. At home Tony fell into his bed, thinking about tech and holograms which was so much better than… other possibilities…

 ***

Tony spent the weekend wrapped around Pepper. That wasn’t as easy as you might think since Pepper never took a whole day off, not even the weekend. It wasn’t that bad, usually she was only reading a report or sending a file and that was it. Therefore Tony could state that he had thoroughly enjoyed his weekend and it had cleared his head. He had even talked Pepper into going for a ride on his bike although she detested them. After the ride she didn’t hate them any less… due to Tony’s driving style. They had laughed it off and Tony decided that his Ferrari was a better alternative for them.

Still Tony did love his bike and because it would piss Howard off Tony used it the next day to go to work. Against all odds Tony was in a great mood, mostly due to the slight pain he still felt, thanks to Pepper’s fingernails. Steve called him early on and asked him if he wanted to have dinner Wednesday night and Natasha gave him some files which weren’t completely boring.

It turned out to be a good week. Then Tony got the memo to show up in Thor’s office. They had to discuss some productivity issues, it seemed like they weren’t able to get the product ready according to the deadline and Borrson was losing his mind over it. Thor was a bit more cool, but Daddy’s will had to be obeyed and Tony fought the urge to roll his eyes. Anyway, they came to an agreement and because Tony had no urge whatsoever to go back to work they ended up talking about football. Then about Vegas and Black Jack. The second Tony began thinking about going to Atlantic City with Thor the door to the office was ripped open. No knocking. Fuck, Tony knew what that meant.

“Thor, I need the keys to the penthouse.”

Thanks to the little… incident at the terrible party Thor knew better than to scowl Loki and to tell him to behave around Tony. Instead he just sighed and shook his head. “If I remember correctly you have your own key.”

Loki stalked towards the desk and with every step he was coming closer Tony felt more uncomfortable. He couldn’t afford to let that show though, how was he going to explain this to Thor?

“If I had my key, why would I be here?”

“Can we talk about this later?”

“No, just give me the key and I’m out of here. Hey, Mr. Stark. How are you doing?”

Tony was sure that he flinched, but he forced himself to smile. “Hello Loki… look if you guys have to discuss something, I’ll just…”

Loki instantly shook his head, holding his hand out to Thor. “No need to. I just want the key and then I’m gone. Come on, people are waiting for me.”

“People?”

Clearly frustrated Loki gritted his teeth. “Friends.”

“I am not going to give you the key to the penthouse, so you’ll hang out with Fandral and…”

Shifting his seat Tony wished to be able to vanish into thin air. Yeah sure, he could just walk out of this room, but for some reason he was still interested in whatever Loki was up to. Because Tony was stupid and fascinated by this cocky teen. Loki had pulled his hair back into a bun, wearing a black sweater that seemed too big for him and dark green pants that showed off his nice legs. It would be so much easier if this kid wasn’t beautiful… Shaking his head Tony told himself to stop doing that.

“What? You’re trying to do mom’s job now? Fine, no, I am not meeting Fandral. I want to hang out with a couple of friends. Plural. More than one and no, it’s not going to be an orgy, Thor.” Crossing his arms in front of his chest Loki looked at Thor expectantly who winced, clearly embarrassed to have this conversation in front of Tony. Finally he gave up and reached into his pocket, pulling out his bunch of keys and loosening one of them. “After work I’ll come over throw all of you out. Understood?”

Loki answered with a mock salute. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir.” With the key in his hand he turned to Tony, smiling lightly and it seemed surprisingly honest. “Have a nice day, Mr. Stark.”

“Yeah, you too…”

The door fell shut behind Loki and Tony and Thor had nothing left to talk about. Only awkward silence. “Uhm… we’re finished here, right? I gotta get back to work and… I’ll explain my ingenious system how to count cards next time, alright?”

Tony was already out off his chair when Thor nodded. “Okay…”

Not waiting any longer Tony left, heading towards the elevator, when he realised that Loki had of course taken the same way and if he didn’t slow down, they would end up in the elevator together. Slowing down his steps Tony stopped in front of the next corner, cautiously leaning forward to look around it. He was aware of the ridiculousness of his action, but Tony couldn’t help himself.

His curiosity was rewarded. Kind of.

Loki was waiting for the elevator, but he wasn’t alone. Right next to him was another boy his age, maybe a little bit older, but Tony would never ever again dare to guess someone’s age. His hair colour was ridiculous, a bad blonde dye job, the hairline was clearly black. Tony got a good look at his face, because the kid was leaning against the wall, laughing, talking to Loki who had his back turned to Tony.

The elevator doors opened and they both entered and Tony saw Loki pressing one of the buttons. Welcome to Tony’s life, hiding from teenagers. Wonderful… A moment later the doors started to close again and Loki’s friend didn’t bother to wait another two seconds for complete privacy. He was still laughing when he reached out for Loki and Tony was fairly sure to get a glimpse of his hand on Loki’s ass before the doors were blocking his view.

Blinking rapidly Tony resisted the urge to smack himself. No, his first and obviously honest reaction wasn’t the urge to tell the kid to keep his hands to himself. That would mean that Tony was jealous. Which he wasn’t.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> Tony makes a discovery... :)
> 
> Have fun

“Come on, don’t be afraid to hit it. Use some of those muscles.”

Tony wanted to use these muscles to wipe that stupid grin off Clint’s face. Yeah, Tony knew that he had been in better shape, but next to Clint pretty much everybody would look bad. Natasha’s boyfriend got behind the sandbag and held it in place. “Come on, I know you came here to let off some steam. Start doing that… or is this all you got?”

Gritting his teeth Tony definitely didn’t think about that blonde kid, a fucking kid, touching Loki when he hit the sandbag again. Fuck, what was wrong with him? This couldn’t be the reason why he was here. That thought only made him punch harder and Clint finally nodded contently. “Better. Way better. Gotta work on the technique though. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

So Tony got a lesson in beating up a sandbag, something that Steve did probably every day. Steve with whom Tony couldn’t talk about the thing that was working him up right now. Another reason to punch. Hard.

Having a personal trainer all for himself was quite nice, Tony could admit that and when his hands hurt, he had to admit that he felt a little bit better.

Clint casually handed him a bottle of water when Tony just sat down on the wooden floor, taking a break. While he was drinking half of it at once Clint joined him. “Your new girlfriend already fucked you over?”

Chocking on the water Tony coughed heavily and stared wide-eyed at the other. “What? No! What kind of question is that?”

“You called me, because you wanted to punch something. That kinda gave me a few ideas. You have ‘I’m so pissed off’ written all over your forehead. Look, I’m perfectly cool with you beating the shit out of a sandbag… or we put some gloves on and you try to beat the shit out of me. That’s very healthy. Also, I’m not judging…”

Rolling his eyes Tony played with the bottle in his hand. He couldn’t talk about this with anybody and even if he could, there was only one person he would want to talk to. Just thinking about Steve’s disappointed eyes made Tony feel sick to his stomach.

“Actually… everything is fine.”

“Yeah, sure…” Clint was shaking his head, clearly not believing him.

“No, that’s the problem. At the moment I am not too terrible at my job right now and I have a new pretty cool, not to mention hot girlfriend. Everything’s fine, so I am only waiting for myself to fuck it up. Which is going to happen.”

Now Clint was probably thinking that he was crazy, but to his surprise Clint didn’t laugh or even raise his eyebrows. “So… you are angry at yourself for something that you haven’t done yet? Something like that?”

That was one way of putting it. Tony was mad, because the kid was somehow getting under his skin, despite being a kid… despite Tony having a wonderful girlfriend. Tony didn’t know yet how, but this was going to work out terribly for him. “Kind of… I could try to give you a better explanation, but I guess that would leave us both scarred for life… I’m quite fucked up.”

“Who isn’t? I grew up at the circus, that messes a person up. So if you want to have a contest. I win.” Clint grinned and the glimmer in his eyes made Tony think that maybe he shouldn’t enter that contest… Wait a second, Tony had been sleeping with a teenager and was probably jealous that said teenager was now dating another teenager. Right, Tony won. No matter what Clint wanted to bring to the table, Tony was the bigger basket case.

“Circus? What did you do there? Swing from rope to rope? Nah, I rather picture you as someone who would throw knifes at a people.”

“Close enough.” Clint smirked. “But that’s more Natasha’s style. Speaking of her, I am just going to ask her what it’s bugging you.”

Tony snorted in response. “That might just be the one thing that even Natasha hasn’t figured out yet… Listen, I am perfectly fine, I am just pissed off at myself and don’t tell her that, she’ll probably suspect that I’ve already fucked up my relationship. Which I totally didn’t do.”

No, Tony was merely pining over a 15 year old. Was that actually the case? Perhaps he was only pissed off, because Loki had moved on from him to a High School kid? That was what he had wanted, right? It was the best thing that could have happened to him, but Tony was an immature idiot, so it was completely possible that his pride was hurt. Yeah, that would be typically Tony… Pissed off that the 15 year old had decided that there were other men in the world than Tony?

“My lips are sealed… Come on, you need to continue to hit something.” Clint grinned at him and pulled Tony back up to his feet before he even had a chance to protest. Fine, Tony would just imagine his own face on the punching bag that would definitely help.

One hour later Tony was beyond exhaustion, even too tired to hate himself and that was a win in his book. Arriving at home Tony threw himself onto his couch and turned on the TV. At least that was the plan until his phone demanded his attention.

Right, Pepper…

Whatever you do… do not tell her about your mental breakdown, because you are jealous of a kid…

“Hey darling… miss me much?”

“Hey, I got your message that you won’t be coming over tonight… You’re sure that’s a good idea? I might have a bottle of champagne and a bathtub full of bubbles that disagree…”

Well, karma was a bitch. That was pretty much the best offer one could imagine. Absolutely perfect… and Tony couldn’t take her up on it, because now that she had called him, he was already feeling guilty again. And stupid. And like a pervert. Not tonight. “That sounds very tempting and I’m the world biggest idiot, but I’m fucking tired and I still have things to do… I’m scared I wouldn’t leave up to your expectations… Anyway, keep that bottle around and I’ll take you up on the offer about the bathtub. Tomorrow… I’ll show up after work and then I’ll drink champagne from your navel…”

“That’s a promise I can live with… Until then I’ll put the champagne on ice. How was your day? Borrson getting on your nerves again?” Pepper sounded playful and maybe Tony really should go see her nevertheless. No, that wouldn’t be fair…

“No, not really. It was a shit day, but nothing to talk about. Lots of small things that went wrong. Anyway… we don’t need to talk about your day either, because I already know that you kicked some ass. You tell me something else… you want to get away for the weekend? I could use a quick holiday? You’re in? Say yes, I won’t accept another answer.” That was a very spontaneous idea, but Tony desperately wanted to get away for a day or two.

Pepper hummed softly in appreciation. “That sounds good… I’ll have to work late Friday, but I guess if we don’t go somewhere that far away… how about Atlantic City?”

“Sounds great, I’ll see what I can do. We’ll talk tomorrow night… when there is no more champagne left…”

“I agree to your terms, Mr. Stark.”

Damn, that woman was definitely too good for him…

 ***

It was almost midday and Tony was already counting the minutes until he could get out of here and join Pepper in the bathtub. A long night of dreamless sleep and two beers for dinner had cleared Tony’s head a bit. No more thoughts about 15 year-old boys.

Instead Tony was humming a soft tune, typing on his keyboard waiting for the last hours to pass. Hopefully nothing stupid would come up to…

… and the phone was already ringing. Wonderful.

“Natasha, whoever wants to talk to me, tell them to fuck off.”

“Fine, I’ll let Steve know instantly.”

“No! Tell him to come in.”

What was Steve doing here? Had Tony forgotten about them wanting to meet?

“Hey Tony.” The second Steve walked in Tony already knew that something was wrong. Definitely. If there was one thing that Steve didn’t possess, it was a poker face. If you knew him as well as Tony, it was so easy to tell when he was trying to hide something. “Hey… you’re visiting me at work? I feel so special.”

“I thought we could grab lunch together.”

“Sure, but why didn’t you call before coming here?”

Steve shrugged, his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans. “I don’t know, I figured you’d have time anyway… you wanna go to that Turkish place you love so much?”

“You hate that Turkish place… but hey, gladly.” Shutting down the computer Tony got up from his chair and decided that he wouldn’t ask. It was fairly obvious that Steve would start talking on his own. Showing up without calling him earlier – Steve didn’t do these kinds of things unless something was bothering him.

Tony was going to kick Bucky’s ass…

It took the whole drive to the restaurant and then another 20 minutes until Steve opened up. Not directly though. Why was he always so desperately trying to not say anything bad about anyone? “You want to hang out this weekend? I got a lot of time on my hands.”

“Too bad… I’d love to, but Pepper and me go on a little trip. Atlantic City.”

Although Steve was obviously disappointed, he still smiled. “That’s nice. I’m so happy that you guys are working out.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome… Enough about me. Why do you have suddenly so much time on your hands?” Not very subtle, but that had never been one of Tony’s strength. He just wanted to know what bullshit Bucky had pulled. This had only been a question of time, Tony wasn’t surprised. Not a bit.

Steve a little bit in his seat and Tony could tell that he was already searching for the nicest words to use. “Bucky’s parents are in town…”

Tony felt the corners of his mouth twitch. He knew where this was going and seriously – fuck that guy with his perfect dark hair and his intense glare. How could a person be this dumb? Even dumber than Tony…

“And you don’t get to meet them.” No need to phrase this as a question when it was this obvious. Looking at him Steve opened his mouth, then couldn’t think of something to say and merely nodded.

Okay, this was one of these times Tony had to be smart, sensitive, take his time, thinking before talking. Steve was a conservative traditionalist. He was all about houses, white fences, two kids and a dog. Meeting parents was a big thing for him. A normal person would be scared out of their mind and make a horrible impression, like Tony. Steve was looking forward to these kinds of things. They were part of the deals and parents loved him. Of course, everybody loved Steve. Well, except for Howard…

However, even without the clear disappointment on Steve’s face Tony would have been able to tell that this was a huge deal. Don’t be a jerk about it, Tony. It’s Steve…

“Why? Come on, tell me. I know it’s bothering you. I bet you were already setting up dinner plans and shit…” Shut your stupid fucking mouth…

“I feel so utterly stupid…”

“Why?”

Finally Steve met his eyes and slightly shrugged, for some reason he looked embarrassed. “When he mentioned that his parents were coming I was already coming up with ideas what we could do and stuff… and then he told me that he wasn’t planning on introducing me to them… yet… It’s his decision… I shouldn’t feel disappointed… it’s stupid.”

So typical. Bucky was being a complete jerk and Steve was blaming himself. “No, you aren’t. Not at all. Did he say why? There has to be reason, because it’s not like you’re the kind of guy you want to hide from your parents.”

“He doesn’t want to hide me… he just… doesn’t want to tell them that he’s in a relationship. Not yet. I don’t know.”

“He is trying to hide the relationship. Awesome.” Tony was so desperately holding back, he had a lot of things to say about this. About how stupid Bucky was. Fucking idiot.

“Okay, I won’t pretend that I’m not… angry, because I am, but I can’t be upset, because he’s not ready to tell his parents about me…”

That was too much. Tony couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Oh, please… This is ridiculous. How old are you guys? Not ready to tell mom and dad about his boyfriend? You can pull that kind of shit when you’re seventeen and dating some gothic chick with more piercings than hair on her head. You are a fucking dream come true, everybody’s parents would love you. It’s just dumb… or are we dealing with a ‘Oh, mommy and daddy must not know that I am dating a man’ situation?”

“No… His parents know that he’s gay…”

“Even worse. Come on, don’t look at me like this. You are the best thing that could have happened to him and he would be showing you off. You’re awesome, don’t pretend you don’t know that. He knows it too and if he doesn’t he’s an even bigger jerk than I thought.” Tony snarled and only realised what he was saying when the words were already out of his mouth.

Steve didn’t miss a single one. His face showed his surprise and Tony could see the disappointment fading, being replaced by a hint of anger. “You think my boyfriend is a jerk?”

Fuck. Typical case of mouth talking before brain thinking. Also, he had been telling the truth which made the situation even worse. Damage control, instantly. “Jerk? Nah. Come on, you know me… I like to talk and I’m a bit pissed off. I like to swear.”

“Yeah and you usually mean what you say, that’s what’s getting you into trouble all the time. You think Bucky is an idiot.” Just looking at Steve made clear that Tony couldn’t talk his way out of this. Fuck, fuck, fuck…

“I didn’t say idiot. I said jerk and seriously, he is a jerk if he doesn’t know how great you are or if he even hesitates to introduce you to his parents…”

Slowly Steve shook his head, the plate in front of him completely forgotten. “No, it’s not about that. I’ve already had a feeling that you didn’t like him… That’s not going to work out, Tony. Yeah, I am angry now and we’ve had our very first fight, but that’s about it. Bucky is going to stick around, I love him. Your my best friend, you simply have to get along.”

Tony felt himself wince without being able to do something about it. He would have loved to turn back time, to listen these words one more time. To make sure. Bucky? Tony had met all of Steve’s boyfriends and yes, most of them had been idiots, but there had been some decent guys. There hadn’t been a single one Steve had claimed to love. Bucky? Yes, Tony could admit that he had his attributes, but at the end of the days Steve still deserved better. Way better.

So what was it? Those deep brown eyes and the perfect hair? Tony had no idea, he couldn’t wrap his head around it. The message was easy to grasp though, Steve had made himself very clear.

Bucky isn’t going anywhere, so you better get used to it and be nice.

Inside of his chest Tony could feel the stings of anger and he was desperately to not let it show. It had always been him and Steve and Tony had always been able to say what he wanted to say. How did that idiot who didn’t even know that Steve was a rare treasure fit in there?

Before speaking up again Tony balled his hand into a fist, trying to swallow his anger, putting it away. He’d find some other way to let it out, like he had so many times before. “Listen… I want you to be happy. I want you to have the greatest relationship ever and forgive me, but… I want you to dumb somebody who isn’t good for you. I jumped the gun on this one, okay? You are my best friend, I will also be on your side when you fight with your boyfriend. Even if you’re completely wrong, I will tell you that you’re right and support you. That’s my job… I didn’t want to upset you, okay? I like Bucky when he’s making you happy. The second you start complaining about him… I hate him. Yeah, that’s not fair, but… fuck it, I don’t have to be fair.”

Not his best work, but he tried to be as honest as possible. There was no way in hell Tony could say to Steve’s face that he would do a little dance if Bucky disappeared tomorrow. How utterly wonderful…

“Okay… I get it… I guess I shouldn’t have complained in the first place…2

“Hell no, complain all you want. Like I said, I’ll always be on your side and you’re reasonable enough to know that… You know that I’m an idiot.”

A soft smile flickered across Steve’s face and he shrugged. “Yeah, most of the time you are.”

“Thank you, too fucking generous.”

 ***

Tony could have called Clint to beat the crap out of another punching bag, he desperately wanted to, but decided against it. Pepper would be furious if he called their date off and rightly so. After- work and after fleeing Natasha’s intriguing gaze Tony drove to Pepper’s place and told himself the entire way to forget about his conversation with Steve. He would still have enough time to go crazy over this stupid…

No, not now…

Pepper greeted him with a kiss and without much fuss. They had plans for the evening after all.

“Your bathtub is amazing…” Sighing happily Tony let his head rest against the edge of the tub, his arm loosely wrapped around Pepper who was resting her back against his chest. With his fingers Tony drew lazily patterns on her stomach, once again surprised by how firm it was. There was hardly anything soft about Pepper’s body. All that running and swimming was definitely paying off. In the back of his mind Tony wondered if it was a bit too much, but that would be the worst case of nit-picking ever. She was beautiful. And crazy since it was Tony she wanted in this bathtub with her.

“I know… I barely have the time to use it… a pity… we have to do this more often.” Pepper purred softly, reaching out for one of the champagne glasses they had placed right next to the tub.

“Oh, you are so right… best part of my day, by far.”

“Well, I hope so. I would be very curious to know what could possibly be better… How was your day?”

“Oh, it sucked…” And Tony shouldn’t talk about that.

Pepper reached for his hand, casually playing with his fingers. “Come on, tell me about it…”

Not a good idea, because Tony still felt the hot anger in his gut and it wouldn’t let go of him yet. Now it was already too late, Pepper wanted to know and Tony didn’t want to make up a story. At least not this early in their relationship. “I had a fight with Steve. We already made up, but… I don’t like fighting with him.”

“What was it about?”

Wrong question. Tony desperately wanted to rant about Bucky, but he knew that he needed to let it go. It would make things easier with Steve. “I may or may have not called his boyfriend an idiot…”

That was enough for Pepper to turn her head and frown at him. “What? Why? I thought you liked James. I think he’s very nice…”

“Yeah, he’s alright… but… that’s complicated.”

“Try me. I’m very smart, I can understand a lot…” She winked at him and Tony sighed. Well, he was very bad at sharing or discussing his problems… maybe that was also cause of said problems? Who knows? It wasn’t like Tony didn’t feel safe with Pepper, but normally that was something he would discuss with Steve… which wasn’t an option right now for rather obvious reasons.

“It’s… I guess I am not good at sharing… Steve dated before… he had boyfriends… but I always came first. At least I had the impression… With Bucky it’s different. I guess he’s never had a relationship this serious and I am not used to that… that sounds awful… We’ve both been single for a while now and we did pretty much everything together… and since he’s been dating Bucky we’ve seen each other a lot less… and I got annoyed by that… Perhaps that’s childish, I’m not sure. Steve made sure to tell me that Bucky was going to stick around… I am okay with that… he’s cool… sometimes…” Not a single part of his little speech made sense and Pepper raised an eyebrow at him. Yeah, Tony would be confused too.

Actually… he was confused…

“You are jealous, because your best friend is spending more time with his boyfriend than with you.”

“What?! No, I am not jealous!”

“Of course you are. I guess something like that happens quite often… at least when you are a girl…” She winked at him and Tony huffed. “Okay, fine… maybe… I’m overreacting a little bit… I am not the biggest socialite… I gotta take care of the few friends I have. Anyway… I wasn’t fair anyway… Bucky is alright and Steve’s head over heels for him… and I’ve learned the important lesson that if I don’t have anything nice to say… I won’t say anything at all.” Tony was sure that he would forget about this lesson very soon…

For some reason Pepper thought that his babbling was amusing. “You are not capable of not saying anything at all… I think you would die or get sick…”

“Yeah, you might be right about that… Damn, that means that I’m going to keep getting into trouble, right?”

“Not exactly a surprise.”

 ***

Tony had decided to change his life, to actually do something about the things that were driving him insane. Confrontation. Small things first so Tony didn’t even go near Bucky or Steve.

Eric called him, inviting him over for dinner and Tony told himself to not freak out about it like he had done before. Steve was right. Erik had kids. So what? That nothing to do with Tony or things he might have done… some time ago.

After a long, great Atlantic City weekend and several dull days of work Tony pulled up in front of a nice house. No white fence, thank god. Tony could only take as much. With a bottle of wine in his hand Tony ended up in front of the doorbell, fighting down the feeling that this might be a bad idea.

Stupid. He liked Erik, he was an old friend and he had nothing to do with the mistakes Tony had committed.

“Tony! So great to see you. Come in.” Erik smiled brightly at him and instantly pulled him into the house as soon as he had opened the door. “Hey Erik. Thanks for the invitation.”

With every passing second Tony got more comfortable, Erik made it quite easy. Sometimes it was surprising to see how everything changed over the years and still – nothing had changed at all. Erik was still the same person he was in High School, open, witty, charming and with that dark smirk. Years ago Tony had wondered from time from time what was going on inside of his head. Sure, Erik had been one of his best friends and they had been a very explosive combination. At least for the teachers. Tony had never cared who he might piss off, but Erik… had been even worse. Some of their classmates had joked that Erik would make a great general or military leader, because he would never get intimidated. By anyone.

Erik would have probably already told Howard to go fuck himself…

“That’s delicious… no way you made that yourself.” Tony wasn’t exaggerating, some of the best pasta he had ever eaten and it also looked pretty fancy. Maybe Tony should come over more often.

“Hey, I’ve been a single father for most of my life. One thing you learn is cooking pasta. My kids refused to eat anything else…” Erik shrugged and took a sip from his wine.

Kids talk… Tony was already getting uncomfortable, time to change the subject, instantly. “Single father… you’re still not seeing anyone?”

“Not at the moment. Actually it’s a nice place to be at… I’m still young enough to date, my kids are old enough that they don’t want to know anything about my love life… I’m enjoying it.” The smile on Erik’s face made it perfectly clear how much he enjoyed it and nobody could understand that better than Tony. “How about you? You didn’t tell me anything about your girlfriend…”

“Pepper, she is awesome. Way too smart and classy for me. I hope she’ll be totally in love with me by the time she realises that she’s too good for me.” Tony winked and Erik chuckled. “It’s always good to know where you place is…”

“Oh, I perfectly know that… what about the mother of your kids? Where’s she?”

“She lives in Los Angeles. We’re on good terms, but we don’t see each other that often. Her dad still hates me.”

It was impossible to not laugh at that. “Can you blame him?”

“Hell no. He’s great with the kids though, so whatever.” Another shrug and Tony started talking about car racing, jumping out of planes and whatever stuff he had been doing during the last 15 years. Yes, he was definitely having a good time and Erik was interested in everything he had to say, they were laughing and after dinner they made themselves comfortable in the living room.

“You definitely gotta go there. It’s incredible and the people are…” Erik trailed off when they could hear the front door being opened and shut. “Dad?”

Great, as soon as the talk about the kids was over – one of them showed up. It was terribly weird to hear the word ‘Dad’ associated with Erik. People in their early thirties shouldn’t have kids, they were way too young.

“Living room.”

Tony didn’t even have the time to prepare himself when Erik’s son strolled right into the room. “Pietro, that’s my friend Tony Stark. Tony, my son Pietro.”

The kid smiled, politely enough and reached out to shake Tony’s head. “Hey man, nice to meet you.”

Because Tony couldn’t say the same he merely uttered a quiet “Hello.”

Pietro didn’t seem to mind and turned to his father. “Wanda’s still out with some friends. She’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Alright.”

That was it, Pietro was already leaving again and Tony was considering to start praying. It was about time to send a complaint to the big boss. Seriously? How many coincidences were even possible? Could Tony just slit his wrists? A little bit?

Erik’s son was the kid from the elevator. The one Loki was hanging out with. The one who had had his hand on… This was getting ridiculous. None of this was Tony’s business and it didn’t interest him. Sure, that was a cute kid, looking a lot like his father, but not as beautiful as… Was he going crazy? None of this should matter to Tony. It didn’t.

None of his business, they could do what they wanted. What did he care?

“So that was Pietro and yes, I also think this hair colour looks atrocious, but he loves it…” Erik brought Tony back to the present and why were they now talking about this kid? It didn’t bother Tony. None of it. How fucked up would he have to be to be jealous of a teenager? His friend’s kid! Hell, Tony didn’t even know if there was something going on between him and Loki… Even if… that didn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter. Hadn’t he told Loki to get himself a boyfriend who was his age? This was good news. Downright perfect.

“Kids, huh?” Tony didn’t come up with something better, his mind had been wiped clear.

One mistake… well, two mistakes and Tony simply wouldn’t stop paying for them. It wasn’t fair. The rest of the evening went by achingly slowly and Tony was walking on eggshells. Constantly fighting the urge to walk upstairs and ask Erik’s son if he was dating Loki…

Yeah, now he was officially losing his mind…

 ***

Tony needed someone to stop him, to beat some sense into him. Maybe they would do that in prison, because Tony would definitely end up there. He was going to work, taking the elevator, walking to his office while desperately hoping that he would run into Loki. Well, not desperately hoping, but he was still eager.

What was he going to do if he actually happened to see him? Ask out right – “Hey, you’re fucking my friend’s kid by any chance?” Yeah, that sounded great. Something that was none of Tony’s business and definitely shouldn’t bother him. Tony had a girlfriend and if Loki was getting it on with a 15 year old… all problems solved. Wonderful. No reason to complain.

Tony didn’t even want to see him. At the moment his life was fucking normal and he wanted it to keep it this way. No more thinking about Loki or other teenagers.

Sitting down behind his desk Tony began to work, rather tried to, but he couldn’t fight the feeling that this was going to be a horrible day.

How much he hated being right…

When his phone started to ring and Tony only glanced at it and snorted “Fuck no…”

Howard tried it again only a couple of minutes later and Tony groaned. He knew well enough that this wasn’t going to stop. Not until he had talked to Howard. Stalling himself Tony quickly grabbed his phone and answered the call. “Yes?”

“Why are you making me lose my time? You are old enough to have figured out how to use a phone.”

“I know how to use a phone. I also know how to hang up.”

There was this condescending sigh and Tony was already gritting his teeth. He didn’t need this. None of it. Not a single word.

Howard continued to talk and Tony wasn’t really listening, it was the same tirade as ever. Yet the message was quite clear. Stark Industry. Big annual gala event next week. Show up. Don’t be drunk. Don’t embarrass me. The usual. Until…

“And bring your girlfriend.”

Well fuck…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know... no Loki, but there will be a lot of him in the next chapter ;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> I know there wasn't any Loki in the last chapter - now there will be a lot more of him :)
> 
> Have fun :)

“Tony Stark being nervous… I’ve never thought I’d see something like this.” The smirk on Pepper’s lips was cocky and therefore sexy, but Tony found that he didn’t care. Not at all. His whole body was tingling, unfortunately not in a good way. Why was he doing this? He was running right into a disaster with his eyes wide open, knowing exactly what was going to happen tonight. Howard wouldn’t let one single opportunity pass to make this evening as torturous as possible for son.

“I’m not nervous… I’m dreading these kinds of events. Hey, you wanna stay at home? Get drunk? Whatever… Or we could go to… anywhere but…”

“You calm down, it’s not going to be that bad. I know my way around business men. All you gotta do is mention some impressive numbers and they are nice little lambs.”

Tony wanted to laugh, desperately, but it there was nothing funny about spending an evening in Howard’s company. That was only the cherry on top… Borrson and lots of other dirtbags would also be around. It was Tony’s nightmare come to life. He was a little bit surprised that it had taken so long for this to happen, his life couldn’t stay decent for more than a month.

Pepper put her hand on his shoulder and softly kissed his cheek. The sweet gesture lifted his spirits somewhat, but it didn’t change what was about to happen. Tony could see the scene playing out right in front of him.

When they got into his car Tony pondered if driving himself was the best decision. It was a good way to stop himself from getting drunk… but how was he supposed to get through this evening without getting shitfaced. No idea…

During the drive Pepper tried to distract him, finally aware of much this situation was bothering him. It wasn’t possible for her to grasp how much he was going to loathe the next couple of hours. No reason to be mad or disappointment, nobody who hadn’t seen Howard interacting with Tony could understand what it was like… and they hadn’t lived through his shitty childhood.

Okay, here’s the plan. Tony would try to avoid his father as much as possible and stay close to Pepper. Good plan… it was going to fail miserably, but it was still a good plan.

When they got there Tony was grateful that Pepper grabbed his hand, he barely had any support in these kinds of situations.

Douchebag in a suit to the left, douchebag in a suit to the right. Great, wonderful. Could somebody please shoot him? They were in the penthouse right? Good place for a suicide. Wow, wasn’t he a happy person?

“Here we are, straight to the Champagne. That’s the only thing worth being here for. No need to give me that look, I’m not getting hammered… but a little bit of courage wouldn’t hurt.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him, then she nodded. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve never seen you like this…”

No, she hadn’t and that was the reason their relationship had been working out pretty well until now. Tony had done some decent work when it came down hiding what kind of a fucking lunatic he was. Another reason why he didn’t want to be here tonight. There was a good chance that Pepper was going to see a very ugly side of him… No, not going to happen. Tony wouldn’t grant Howard that satisfaction.

Forcing himself to smile Tony put his hand on the small of Pepper’s back, leading her towards the bar. He should be walking around this place like a fucking king. Against Howard’s expectations he hadn’t fucked his job up, he was looking great in his suit and he had the most gorgeous woman of this party next to him.

Instead he was too afraid to face Daddy.

After ordering their glasses Tony decided that he would now get a grip. “You’re right, sorry… I just don’t have the best relationship with my dad… but I’ve mentioned that before… I know.”

Pepper smiled, proving again that she was too good for him. “It’s okay. It’s kind of refreshing to see you lose your cool. I didn’t think that was possible.”

Oh, it was completely possible and happened all the time.

“I should be cooler about this, I know. I need something to look forward to. How about we go to Burger King after this farce here?”

That made her laugh and Tony felt instantly better. “Why not? It’s not like we’re going to get anything to eat here. Anything edible.”

This woman would never consider setting a single foot into a Burger King if it wasn’t for Tony and he felt the sudden urge to kiss her. So he did just that. “You are amazing and… oh fuck, no.”

Once again Pepper’s eyebrows went up, but Tony didn’t notice. His blood had run cold. Things could change so quickly. Hadn’t he been hoping to see him just a week ago? Here he was and Tony wished for a hole to disappear in. Or an open window to jump out of. Right now…

What was wrong with Borrson that he dragged Loki along to every single one of these fucking events? Couldn’t he introduce him into society somewhere else? When Tony wasn’t present?

At least neither of them had seen him yet. All three of them and Tony’s eyes were only fixed on the kid. No, he wasn’t fifteen. In that grey blazer in those black jeans nobody would look younger than… 18?

“Tony?”

Quickly focusing back on Pepper Tony shook his head. “Sorry, got distracted for a second. How about me…”

“Being easily distracted has always been one of Anthony’s flaws. It’s very unfortunate that you still haven’t found the time to work on it.”

Tony wanted to close his eyes. Take a second, just to take a breath. To stall himself. Why hadn’t he stayed at home? Not giving Howard the opportunity to drizzle his poison all over them.

Don’t show him, Tony. Don’t let him see.

Holding his chin up high Tony looked at Howard, keeping his face as blank as he could. “Hello… dad. Have you met Pepper Potts?”

Howard’s eyes were already on her. “Pepper?”

With more charm than ever before Pepper smiled at him and held out her hand. “Virginia Potts. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark.”

No, it wasn’t a pleasure. Anything but…

“The pleasure is mine, Miss Potts. I fear it is too late to warn you about my son?”

Tony was already biting his lip while Pepper continued to smile. “No reason to warn me at all. I enjoy every second I get to spend with your son.” Of course she was trying to make a point, to lay it on thick, but Tony knew nevertheless that she meant it. Maybe he could actually get through this…

“You’ll have to forgive me that I’m surprised to hear this. Tony’s record speaks on its own… If it wasn’t for tonight, I still wouldn’t know about your relationship with my son, Miss Potts…” Howard kept talking, but Tony had already started to filter his words. Survival strategy. Nevertheless his hand was itching to empty his glass over Howard’s head. To stop himself from doing that Tony downed the rest of his champagne which instantly earned him a dark glance. He could only lose…

Pepper was his saving grace, all those negotiations had taught her how to deal with dirtbags like Howard. She kept her smile with ease and did a fantastic job at changing the topic, talking about Stark Industries instead of Tony. For a few heavenly minutes Tony could simply stand there without saying anything. Until Pepper excused herself to the restroom, kissing Tony on the cheek before she left. Tony couldn’t fight the feeling that she was doing this on purpose, hoping he would at least try to talk to his father.

“When I heard about it I thought it was joke. I couldn’t imagine a woman in her position being charmed by your antics.” As always Howard didn’t miss a beat. “I am pleased to see you’ve finally decided to aim for something else than…”

“Don’t!” Tony hissed and Howard actually raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that Tony interrupted his speech about all the terrible people his son had dated. People who had the audacity to have been born without a silver spoon in the mouth. Or even worse – happened to be male. “Don’t even start… I am in a relationship with a woman and you don’t think she’s trash. Can’t you just be happy about that and… stay silent?”

Howard just looked at him and Tony could see every bit of it. Years of disappointment and unfulfilled expectations. The hope of an heir as talented and as brilliant as his father to continue what he had built up. How quickly it had fallen apart and turned to dust. He had no other choice than to hate Tony. “Miss Potts is intelligent and she has class. I would like her to stay around, so please try to not instantly ruin this relationship…”

Something inside of Tony snapped. All that supressed anger wanted out, rushing towards the surface and he opened his mouth to scream at Tony. To unleash all that frustration and…

“Howard, thank you for the invitation.” Borrson’s smile was too wide to be real and the way they shook hands was wrong, fake and a sign for everything that was wrong in the business and in the world. Two hypocrites who always smiled. No matter if they were ruining some poor lads life or saying hello to a business partner they despised. “Odin, so nice to see you.”

Tony wanted to yell at them, to cause a scene, to break out. Shave his head, get a tattoo straight across his forehead, get his nose, ears and lips pierced and marry a male prostitute. Just to make them stare, gape, to show them that he wasn’t one of them. Well, they knew that anyway, Tony was a well-known failure.

“I’ve been looking forward to meet your youngest. You’re always speaking so highly of him. Don’t tell me that you left him at home.” Tony knew Howard well enough, this was a challenge and a taunt. They were going to do the same shit to Loki…

Borrson pretended that he hadn’t noticed the dig and continued to smile. “It seems I’ve already lost him and his brother somewhere… I guess that happens to the best of us. Tony, how are you?”

There was no time to reply, Howard was already doing that for Tony. “I fear he isn’t feeling very good… at least that would explain his behaviour.”

Balling his hand into a fist Tony swallowed it down, buried it, because it wasn’t worth it. Whatever he was going to say was only going to make it worse. Out. He needed to get out. Instantly.

“He’s right. I indeed feel like throwing up… I am going to catch some fresh air…” Turning around on his heels Tony made his way through the crowd, pushing people aside, rushing towards the door. Finally spending so many years of his life here was paying off. Instead of using the elevator Tony slipped through a discrete door hidden behind a folding screen and headed down the stairs. Only two floors below there was this little balcony which was accessible via the staircase. Stepping outside Tony sucked in a deep breath, cold air filling his lungs and it did nothing to make him feel better.

To hell with them… Tony had known that this was going to happen. No surprise whatsoever. Why had he come here? Was he so used to humiliation that he couldn’t do without it? Perhaps… deeply inside… Tony was even looking for it. Needed Howard to push him down, so wouldn’t forget his place…

It was already working…

“… bunch of assholes. Yeah, exactly… Sounds way better than this bullshit… Tonight? I dunno…”

A shiver was running down Tony’s spine and he didn’t know how to take it. This night wouldn’t get any better. Tony was stumbling from nightmare into another. Even here, the place he had chosen to get away from all this shit… it easily caught up with him.

Loki was sitting on the railing, a cigarette in one and his phone in the other hand. His expression was hard to read. Was it possible to be amused and annoyed at the same time? Tony shouldn’t spend another minute thinking about this. It would be a better idea to get back inside. Away from this kid.

Too late, he had already seen Tony. “Nah… I just got company. No… I don’t think so.” Loki started to laugh and Tony’s anger was being fuelled. Who was he talking to? Erik’s kid? His wannabe lover who had no idea how to deal with him? “Gotta hang up… Yeah, okay. I’m pretty sure I can get away. They’ll all be drunk in an hour anyway. See you later.” Slipping his phone into the pocket of his blazer Loki took a long drag from his cigarette. Due to the darkness Tony couldn’t quite make out his eyes, but that didn’t matter, he could feel them on his skin.

“Your dad is looking for you.”

“I doubt that you are here to tell me that…” Loki almost sounded amused and Tony wanted to ask where he would be going. What he was planning on doing and with whom…

“I just needed some fresh air. Like you…”

A smirk played on Loki’s lips. “Oh, I didn’t come here for some fresh air…” To prove his point Loki sucked on his cigarette with his perfect lips and Tony felt tempted to utter a growl. “It’s just too funny to have Thor going crazy looking for me…”

Yeah sure, that’s the only reason why Loki was out here. Tony kept silent, almost proud of himself and decided to turn around, leaving the kid alone before he got him into even more trouble.

“You’ve got a beautiful girlfriend, Mr. Stark.”

Tony’s hand which had been about to reach for the doorknob abruptly came to a halt. So Loki had seen him after all and he had seen Pepper. Good. That was good. At least things were clear now. No misunderstandings. Why was he turning back around? “I know. She’s quite lovely.”

Loki’s mouth formed an ‘o’ when he released the smoke for his lungs and Tony wasn’t staring. “How sophisticated and… appropriate.” That smirk. No 15 year old could have so much wit and rogue. A walking, breathing tease who thought he had figured it all out, because he had an active sexlife. No, he was still a kid who knew nothing and yet he had the nerve to mock Tony because… Huh, interesting.

“What? Do you have a problem with my girlfriend?” Tony challenged him, at least he tried and Loki wasn’t impressed. At all.

“Why would I have a problem with your girlfriend, Mr. Stark? I am glad you found somebody to be with. What a coincidence that she’s exactly the type of woman everybody expects you to be with. Finally bending to society’s rules. Daddy’s gotta be so proud…” Loki let out a soft chuckle and Tony had finally found a way out to let all of his anger out.

Walking up to Loki Tony snarled, his voice sounded dangerous even to his own ears. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Why?” Loki stubbed out his cigarette on the railing. “You don’t like it when I tell you the truth, Mr. Stark?” Perfectly calm and so pretentious. How badly Tony wanted to put him in his place. “Why do you care about who I am dating? Do you think that you’re so good at sucking cock that I’d never want somebody else again?”

Finally, Loki’s mask faltered a little bit. The smirk faded and his face hardened. Tony was close enough now to make out these green eyes. Gorgeous…

“As strange as that might seem to you, Mr. Stark. You weren’t the revelation that you think you were. My life doesn’t revolve around you or who you fuck. Sorry to disappoint you. Now will you excuse me please .I gotta leave a bad party early…” Ridiculously gracefully Loki jumped off the railing, walking past Tony.

There was no way he was losing this argument to a kid. “Have fun with the little Lehnsherr. I am sure he’s desperately waiting for you…” After this Tony didn’t have any spite left, he had put it all in these words.

Just like Tony before Loki stopped dead in his tracks. When Loki turned back around both of his eyebrows were up and Tony suddenly felt less self-confident. Green eyes were fixed on his face and Loki tilted his head as if to get a better look at him. What was he seeing?

“Oh… to be honest I didn’t expect that. You really thought that you ruined me for everybody else, didn’t you? Is it so hard to believe that there is a life after you? First you scowl me like a child and then… you turn out to be jealous of Pietro.”

Was Loki out of his mind? Why was everybody trying to tell him that he was angry? Of Bucky? Of… Erik’s son? “Now listen carefully, Loki… to make this perfectly clear. I don’t care. You can fuck whoever you want.”

Loki snorted, about to roll his eyes. “Yeah… sure. If you don’t care, how do you even know about Pietro? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed our little time together and I would have let you fuck me on your desk all you wanted, but since you are too busy trying to meet other people’s expectations instead of doing what you want… don’t expect me to shed a tear over it. Go back to your girlfriend but leave me alone.”

Tony wanted to do so many things, but leaving him alone wasn’t one of them. When he had stormed out here, he had already been angry, but now his whole body was trembling with rage. How did this little kid dare to speak with him this way? How did he dare to voice the things that would never pass Tony’s lips? How did he dare to… be braver than Tony when only 15 years old?

“Doing anything you want won’t get you anywhere and sooner or later you have to pay the price for it! You don’t understand that, because you don’t think any further than 5 seconds into the future.” Tony hoped that his hiss would somehow make an impression on Loki, but he only received a condescending glare. “Oh really? At least I’m having some fun and I’m not doing everyday things that are making me sick. Every single day. Have fun at the party you clearly don’t want to be at. I know this party sucks, so I am leaving.”

No, Loki wasn’t leaving. With no gentleness whatsoever Tony grabbed his arm, shoving him back against the wall, pinning him to it, right next to the door. A soft sound of pain escaped Loki’s lips, but his wide eyes didn’t leave Tony’s for a second. Fucking beautiful and so cocky, needed to be put in his place. For once Tony’s sanity kicked in when it wasn’t already too late. He had been leaning in, just lightly, ready to smash his mouth on Loki’s when Tony realised what he was doing.

Committing a felony? Being a complete jackass and an idiot? Letting a fucking kid provoke him to this point? What was wrong with him?

Frozen to a spot Tony did nothing but stare at Loki who eventually blinked in confusion. Eventually his hands came up to Tony’s shoulders and tried to pull him closer. “Come on…”

A plea and an order at the same time and so much frustration.

Green eyes and now they were so close that Tony could read in them. Pure and real anger, a challenging glamour and most of all want. He was too young to hide any of it, to play games and this was Loki – he probably didn’t even try. Everything about him was enrapturing, lovely and beautiful. So willing and wrong, so easy to get lost in. What Loki wanted was obvious and he wasn’t afraid to take it, if Tony let him. Slender fingers were digging into his shoulders, still trying to pull him closer and Tony could feel Loki’s breath against his mouth. Tony could almost taste him. Sweet and intoxicating.

When Tony still refused to move Loki proved that he was more than all talk no action. Suddenly his mouth was on Tony’s and Loki was kissing him with undisguised hunger and passion. Tony didn’t push him away, because he didn’t want to. What he wanted was more of this, control over it, control over Loki…

Tony revelled in Loki’s moan of surprise when he grabbed his hands and pressed them against the cold wall. Deepening the kiss Tony slid his right leg between Loki’s, covering that lithe body completely with his own. It felt so incredibly good, reckless, Tony wanted to lift him back on the railing and fuck him right there. All of this was nothing more than a fantasy…

Their lips were perfectly moving against each other and Tony was putting all his anger into it, only to have Loki keeping up with him. A sharp, yet delicious sting of pain made Tony pulled back slightly. After licking his lip where Loki had bit him Tony looked at him and his face was gorgeous. Breathing a little bit faster than normally and his eyes were still so wide. He was so lovely. Like a terrible mistake you desperately wanted to commit, despite the impending consequences, pulling him in.

Loki wriggled his hands out of Tony’s grip and placed them on Tony’s sides instead. His lips brushed over his Tony’s cheek, then over the corner of his mouth. “Let’s get out of here…”

He could have just as easily proposed a crime, it would have sounded exactly the same. Technically that was what he was doing and every single word was sending down shivers Tony’s spine. He wanted to run, from Loki, away with Loki. That warm mouth kissed him again and Tony slid his fingers into those long, black strands.

“Let’s go, come on…” Loki practically purred and Tony felt himself being pulled in. Images and ideas flashing in his mind of all the things he wanted to do to him. So many things.

When Loki was reaching for one of Tony’s hands, but now he jerked back. He had burned his fingers once, he wouldn’t do it again.

The expression in Loki’s eyes changed instantly and Tony would have to lie if he said that he didn’t think the fire was appealing. It was mesmerizing. “What? Oh no, come on…”

“Nothing. Nothing is going to happen… We’re not going anywhere…”

No complaining, no new try to seduce him, just a hard shove. “Fuck you. Even Thor has more guts than you!” Loki slid past him, ripping the door open and left without another glance at Tony. He said behind, breathing heavily, wondering what had just happened. What a job he had done at proving his father right. Tony was a disappointment and a fuck-up. With an incredible fierce attraction towards a teenager. Why wasn’t he able to stop? To do something right. Tell Howard to go to hell and be a perfect boyfriend to Pepper…

Fuck, running one hand down his face Tony tried to stop asking himself what he had done. Or why…

Howard had made him so mad and Loki was… how Tony wanted to be, something he wanted possess. Something he instantly should forget…

“Fuck my life…” Tony left the balcony, very slowly made his way back to the party. He ignored the noises around him and looked for Pepper. Luckily he found her pretty quick, in conversation with some asshole.

“Pepper…”

“Tony, where were you? I was…”

“Can we leave? Right now. I want to leave.”

His request came just like him out of nowhere and Pepper was completely taken aback. “What? We’ve only been here for…”

“Pepper, I really want to leave.” Tony was keeping his voice calm, almost quiet and Pepper slightly raised an eyebrow, but then she nodded. Because she was wonderful and perfect and Tony was a jerk.

During the ride home Pepper tried to find out what had happened. In vain, Tony simply stated that he had gotten into an argument with his father. At home Tony decided that he had made enough mistakes for one day and went to bad without getting completely drunk. Pepper was sleeping next to him, looking gorgeous and sweet. Yet Tony was lying there, staring at the ceiling. When he licked over his lips Tony imagined that he could still taste Loki on them.

Tony didn’t want to think about Loki leaving the party, then heading for… Of course he had gone there. No misunderstandings, Loki had told him.

Another thing he shouldn’t care about.

Making another attempt at closing his eyes Tony found that the only thing he could think about were two green eyes staring at him. First filled with desire than with anger. No matter how they looked at him they were always full of life and passion. Loki was passionate about him and Tony couldn’t stop thinking about that.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Tony feels bad and the universe still hates him ;)
> 
> Have fun (I think you'll like it)

Tony was again astonished by how smart Pepper was. She instantly got that it was better to leave him alone when he was like this. The morning after the party she made a few attempts to talk to him, but Tony brushed it off. Sighing softly Pepper kissed him, made him promise to call her tonight and then left.

The second she was out Tony reached for his phone and only stopped when his thumb was about to click on Steve’s name. What was he supposed to say to him? ‘Hey, you remember my boss’ teenage son? The one I fucked? Yeah, I kissed him last night. Nah… it doesn’t really count as a kiss. He was sucking on my tongue and I wanted to fuck him on the balcony. While Pepper was inside, probably to talking to Howard’.

Steve would tell him to go fuck himself. Not using these exact words, but… No, this was something Steve couldn’t get behind. Especially after their recent little fight about Steve’s stupid boyfriend. Who was acting like a jerk and was still a better person than Tony. By far.

Putting the phone away Tony still resisted the urge to have a drink or several. Instead Tony disappeared into his garage and started picking apart one of his cars. It was perfectly fine, no repair job was needed. Tony needed something to do, something to get lost in, so he wouldn’t have to think about Loki or what he had done. To himself and to Pepper.

To his actual surprise he made it to spend the entire Sunday like this. It was already night when he returned to his living room and sat down, thinking about what he should tell his girlfriend. He was supposed to call her, to explain why he was acting so weird. Because of his consuming attraction to a kid. Yeah, she was going to love this…

“Tony, hey… You’re feeling better?”

Worried, wonderful. As if Tony couldn’t feel like an even bigger piece of shit. “Yeah… I am not sick or anything. Sorry for being so… I dunno. What am I even doing?”

“What did your father say when I left?” Compassionate, too much for him to take.

“Nothing he hasn’t said before. Really… I shouldn’t even be so upset about it. I’ve heard it all before. I just thought… I thought I was doing alright and he… fucked it up. That’s what he does. I’m sorry that everything went downhill from there, but… He knows how to push my buttons.” Half of the truth, not enough of it.

Tony could hear in Pepper’s voice that she pitied him and he didn’t like that. It only reminded him of the fact that he wasn’t man enough to deal with his problems. “I am sorry, I didn’t really understand how bad your relationship with your father is. I shouldn’t have left you alone with him.”

“I am still able to deal with Howard I don’t need a nanny.”

“That’s not how I meant it.”

“I know, I know… sorry. Again. Listen, I will take you out for breakfast tomorrow. To make up for the ruined evening. What do you think about that?”

“That sounds great… Do we meet or do you…”

“I am going to pick you about. Nine o’clock?”

“Perfect.”

It would take a lot of work to relieve his guilty conscience for kissing Loki. Tomorrow was a good time to start. Until then Tony would lounge around in front of the TV, trying to let some stupid sitcom wipe out all of his brain cells. Then maybe he wouldn’t be able to remember the mistakes he had committed. Too bad that Tony couldn’t even concentrate on reality TV. Curling himself up in a tight ball Tony put his laptop on his knees and read some online articles, the sound of the TV still playing in the background. His fingers were itching and since Tony had decided that he would start being a better person tomorrow… he could still be a little bit stupid tonight. Very stupid.

After a short hesitation Tony typed the name ‘Loki’ and let Google do the rest. He had never paid much attention during history classes, so all Tony knew was that Loki was the name of a Norse god. Which was completely wrong. The mythological Loki was the son of giants, not of gods. Hadn’t Natasha said that it was cruel to name one child Thor and the other one Loki? Now Tony finally understood why. Thor was a very influential god, worshipped all across Scandinavia and Loki… hadn’t been worshipped at all. A trickster god, causing mischief and… the end of the world? Holy shit, why would you name your kid after the guy who brought the apocalypse?

Scanning through the articles Tony found something else. Yes, Loki hadn’t been worshipped, but historians agreed that he was the most compelling and interesting figure in Norse mythology. He could be lovely or cruel if he desired. He caused chaos and later on got rid of it again. Sometimes he was straightforward, sometimes his actions contradicted themselves. Every author called him fascinating.

Yet he had still caused the apocalypse… Tony wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t worshipped.

Well, at least Tony knew now that this whole family was crazy. Continuously naming their kids after Norse gods? Weird…

Talking of gods… how had Loki called himself when they had met? Apollo? A Greek god… or Roman? Both as far as Tony knew. When Tony had asked him about it, Loki had told him that he had been named after the wrong god.

Time to check that god out.

Apollo was quite different. First born son of Zeus, god of… pretty much everything that was related to art. Most of all music, poetry. God of light, medicine… That god had been worshipped, very much so. In Mythology he had threatened to become even more popular than his father Zeus, causing constant friction between these two.

A beautiful god, the only Greek god capable of feeling remorse. Always unlucky in love and… very bisexual. A bright figure unlike the dark son of giants who was destined to bring doom upon the world.

Sighing softly Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. So Loki had a favourite god and it wasn’t the one he shared a name with. So what? It didn’t matter that Loki was smart enough to read a book or some articles about Greek or Norse mythology, he was still only 15 years old.

A kid…

Tony resisted the urge to look up other countries and their laws about maturity. They were living here and now and here and now Loki was 15 and the son of his boss. Also, Tony had a girlfriend.

Why was he even thinking about this?

Closing the laptop Tony turned off the TV. Time to go to bed.

 ***

Breakfast with Pepper went better than expected, but Tony’s expectations had been pretty low. He did his best, using his charm and he was as attentive as he could be. All her attempts to talk about Howard were in vain though, only over Tony’s very dead body.

At work Natasha gave that glance. So people were already talking about him leaving that damned party so early. Tony guessed it was better than them talking about him almost leaving with Borrson’s son.

Sitting down behind his desk Tony got to work and only looked up again when Steve called him. “What’s up?”

“Hey, I want to make sure that you are still alive.”

What the hell? “Why? You read in the newspapers that an incredible sexy guy died of having too much sex? Sure that you’d be thinking of me.”

Steve laughed softly. “No… When you told me about the party at Stark Industries I was sure you’d be calling five minutes after getting home. You didn’t and you also didn’t call yesterday. Which probably means that you are dead. Come on, what happened?”

Great. Steve should just get in line with all the other people who were trying to make him feel miserable. With him it was even worse, because he was concerned. All he did was reminding Tony of his fuck-up. I forgot to call you? Yeah, I was busy regretting making out with a teenager. Yes, the same teenager…

Closing his eyes Tony leaned back in his chair. “The short version? Howard was a bastard, I ran away and was a douche to Pepper. Don’t worry, I’ve already made it up to her and she was very understanding. Great even…”

“Damn… Tony, this has to stop. You and your dad can’t continue like this forever. Sooner or later you are going crazy.”

“Aww, you are so sweet. You don’t think I’m crazy. Yet… Nah, it’s cool, Steve. Really. Average meeting with Howard… Could have been a lot worse and I honestly didn’t want to bother you with that. Listen, I’m knee-deep in work, so how about… I’ll call you tonight. Then we can talk and I’ll bore you with all the details…” Tony just wanted this conversation to end. It was too soon to start lying to Steve.

“Alright, cool. I’ll call you tonight. Have a nice day at work until then.” Tony could vividly picture Steve’s smile and once again he was feeling like shit. At least Tony’s day couldn’t get any worse.

Until it got much worse…

“My brother is still in the process of getting to know all the departments of the company. He’s going to spend the rest of the day with you.”

Thor was in luck that Tony had just put his glass down or he would have spit his wine all over his face. That opportunity had gone by, but Tony still wanted to swing his glass directly at Thor. “No fucking way in hell.”

Thor blinked, his mouth dropped open and Tony remembered that they weren’t actually friends, he wasn’t supposed to talk like this when Thor was around. Unfortunately this was the only appropriate reaction. What a cruel joke.

“I am not a babysitter.”

“You are not supposed to babysit him. Just show him what you do… I know it’s not a very comfortable situation, but it’ll just be three hours.”

“No!”

It didn’t matter what Tony had to do, he wouldn’t let that happen. Alone in his office with the little shit whose only mission in life was to make Tony miserable. Not going to happen. His refusal still seemed to confuse Thor. What? Never heard the word ‘no’ before? “I’m sorry, but it’s not a proposal. It’s my father’s wish…”

Jesus fucking Christ… Tony pushed his plate away, there was no chance he was going to able to eat any of this now. “Why does it have to be… Oh, I see… your dad is pissed at me, because I left the party during a conversation with him.” That only proved Tony’s theory that Borrson was almost as evil as Howard. Borrson probably expected Loki to complain and bitch and to drive Tony insane. If he only knew…

“Actually…” Thor cleared his throat, lowering his eyes. “… I think it’s Loki’s punishment. Nothing against you, Loki doesn’t like hanging around the company… no matter where or with whom.”

Loki was being punished?! Loki?! This couldn’t be true… So there were consequences for leaving the party to fuck Erik’s kid. Who would have thought. No, Tony had to get out of this. Alone with Loki in a room? He had pissed the kid off… Either Loki was going to try to open Tony’s pants or he’d find some more creative way to make this day a living hell.

“Can’t you punish him elsewhere?”

“My father insists…”

Tony kept trying, the rest of the entire lunch break, but Thor finally only responded with a shrug. There was nothing he could do, direct orders from the boss. At least he felt bad enough to pat Tony’s shoulder. This had to be a joke. Nobody’s life could be this fucked up…

Returning to his office Tony realised with a sigh of relief that Loki wasn’t here yet. Maybe the kid would run away again and Tony would get through this day without an impending suicide. Sitting back down behind his desk Tony got back to work, glancing at the door every two seconds. Goosebumps were covering his arms. It couldn’t get more embarrassing.

When the door was finally being opened Tony could feel his throat constricting. Loki didn’t even look at him. He walked up to the desk and Tony’s heart was suddenly hammering against his chest and he could taste him. Casually Loki grabbed the chair opposite of Tony and dragged it into the corner of the room. While sitting down Loki pulled a small book from his jacket. “Just tell Odin I helped you with some numbers and that I’ve complained a lot… He’ll buy that. Just don’t interrupt me while I’m reading.”

Tony was tempted to just stare at him with his mouth open. Was this really happening? He was just going to sit there? Best thing that could happen to Tony, so it couldn’t be happening.

Slowly Tony turned back to his computer and continued to work. Or at least he tried to. How was he supposed to do anything when he felt these green eyes on him all the time? Loki was staring at him, Tony just knew it.

When Tony glanced at him Loki was still reading. Damn, that kid was quick. No, he wasn’t imaging any of that. Swallowing the sigh he was about to utter Tony tried to concentrate. Numbers, statistics… Loki was in the fucking same room as him. How was he supposed to work like this? He wanted him out, gone, far away. As far away as possible. Couldn’t they just send him back to England?

A shiver was running down Tony’s spine and he felt these eyes on him once more.

“Could you please stop staring at me?! It’s freaking me out!”

Looking up from his book Loki raised an eyebrow at him. “I am not staring at you.”

“Bullshit...” Tony gritted his teeth and realised that he had made it worse. Now they were talking, talking was so much worse than being stared at.

“I’m being punished by being here. Believe me, there are more interesting things.” Demonstratively Loki turned his attention back to the book in his hands.

The Prince

“Machiavelli? You are planning on taking over an empire?”

In response Loki snorted. “Odin wants me to read it. He treats it like the Bible… Running a company is the same thing as running a state… Idiot… sends me to an elite boarding school in Europe and thinks I haven’t read it yet…”

Huh… “So why are you reading it again?”

“I am not. It’s just the cover.” To prove his point Loki pulled said cover off and revealed a small pitch black book.

“And what’s that?” Why was Tony talking to him? He should be throwing sacred water at him or flee out of the room.

A soft smirk spread on Loki’s face and Tony’s head was starting to swim. “The Communist Manifesto. Someday I’ll leave it lying around somewhere, so he’ll find it and finally have a heart attack.”

No, Tony didn’t think this was creative, funny and an absolutely brilliant idea. It was stupid and Tony didn’t care. “Whatever… I’d be careful, you might be shipped off to Russia…”

“You do know that Russia isn’t a communist country anymore.”

“Whatever… then you’ll just end up in China.” Which would be a marvellous idea. First Loki would be out of his office, then out of the country. Hell, Tony would even be willing to pay the fees for his boarding school in Beijing. Fuck human rights, as long as Loki would be out of his life…

“That would definitely an improvement…” Muttering under his breath Loki crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, his attention back on his book.

Okay, alright. They’ve had a conversation… Loki didn’t care about talking to him which was perfectly fine. Good even. Time to get back to work.

Tony studied the numbers of the research department and totally wasn’t thinking about what kind of teenager would be reading classic literature to piss off their parents. Granted, Tony had no idea what Loki’s opinion was on these books. Hell, Loki came from a family with their pockets full of money, they probably sent him to a private school and Loki made the general impression that he was pretty smart. Bruce had been raving about his intelligence and it wasn’t an actual surprise that Loki preferred Marx to comics. There were other teenagers who were trying to be intellectual, it wasn’t that impressive.

Out of the corner of his eyes Tony glanced at the kid who was turning the page, shifting in his chair to get more comfortable. Now that Loki definitely wasn’t looking at him Tony took his time to check him out. Dark green pants, a grey shirt and a black jacket. All of it was reeking of money. Didn’t make a difference though, he was looking lovely.

Bad thought. Instantly Tony turned his attention back to his computer, but after another three minutes he had to admit that this wasn’t going to work out. His chest felt a little bit too tight, made it uncomfortable for him to breathe. He felt like he was only waiting for something bad to happen. Maybe ‘bad’ was a too strong of a word. It wasn’t like he couldn’t deal with Loki, Tony was perfectly capable of doing that. Still, he would definitely feel better if Loki wasn’t here, just a few metres away from him. Who would tell a junkie to watch out for a bag full of crack?

What the else was wrong with him? Steve was right, Tony wasn’t into teenagers. He had fucked Loki, because he felt the desperate urge to do something stupid and to do something that would make Howard despair. To deny the attraction wasn’t possible, especially after what had happened the day before ,but Tony had been able to end it rather quickly.

No reason to worry…

“Something’s on your mind?”

No, Tony definitely didn’t wince. Ever so slowly he raised his head, glancing at Loki who had put his book down. Green eyes were fixed on him, eyebrows slightly raised and Tony felt the goose bumps coming back. Loki didn’t have the ability to read his mind, so there was nothing to worry about. Hopefully. “No, I’m trying to work here.”

Loki shrugged. “Okay… Fascinating that you figured out how to work on a computer without typing. At all…”

Looking down Tony realised that his hands weren’t even touching the keyboard. Good lord, had he been doing anything during the last couple of minutes? “I have to think about what I write before writing it down…”

“Obviously…” Loki sneered and Tony wanted to… do absolutely nothing. He was making no impression on him. None whatsoever.

“Why don’t we make a deal? You shut the fuck up and I’m going to get some work done.”

Rolling his eyes Loki slipped the Communist Manifesto back into his pocket. Damn, Tony was so screwed. “Why don’t you just tell Odin to fuck himself and resign?”

Great question… “I’m not talking with you about my job.”

“Why not? I looked you up… You shouldn’t be working in an office… If the internet didn’t make up your biography and studies at MIT… you typing in some numbers is ridiculous and you clearly hate it. Just resign and be done with it…”

The way he said it really made it sound this easy and Tony wanted to throw something at him. A childish reaction of course, but right now he couldn’t think of anything to defend himself. “A piece of advice. Stop talking about things you know nothing about. It’s not that simple.”

Loki pursed his lips and let out a hoarse laugh. “It is simple. You’re making it complicated. You hate what you do. You hate your employer and you’re only here, because other people decided to fuck with you…”

It was the truth and that’s why it was making Tony furious. This time he would be smarter though. “Loki, take care of your own business and leave me alone, okay? I’ll get out of here in about two hours. Do me a favour and keep your mouth shut until then.”

Against all his expectations Loki did just that. Instead of saying another word he started writing messages on his phone. Tony’s relief was very short-lived. It took him about three seconds to start wondering who he was exchanging messages with. Erik’s kid, for sure. Tony’s hand formed a fist and he knew he had no right to any kind of reaction. Loki was the kid of his boss and that was all. Tony had nothing to do with him, he didn’t want to have anything to do with him…

“What? I’m not talking. What am I doing now that is irritating you?” Loki seemed genuinely frustrated and Tony didn’t even want to know what had given him away this time. Probably all that staring at Loki.

“Nothing.”

“You want to know who I am texting with? So you can get jealous at them too?”

Another thing that Tony didn’t want to think about. “I am not jealous. I told you – you can fuck whoever the fuck you want like you probably do anyway.”

The sneer on Loki’s face froze and Tony was taken aback. Something had happened right there. With eyes so big and expressive it was almost impossible for Loki to hide his emotions even though he tried. To see all cockiness and defiance gone was strange and it made Tony even more uncomfortable. “Despite what you might think…” Loki’s words were sharp enough to cut into Tony’s skin. “… I’m not running around spreading my legs for everybody I meet.”

It wasn’t necessary to put that much spite and bitterness into what he was saying. The mere meaning was chasing away Tony’s goose bumps and made his skin crawl instead. Did Loki really think that Tony had been implying this? Maybe he had been doing exactly that without being aware of it. Loki was beautiful, quick-witted and charming if he wanted to be. Yes, he had a shitload of issues and they should put his picture into the dictionary, right next to the definition of ‘rebellious teenager’. Loki was quite a character, but Tony thought in no way of him as a slut.

“I didn’t say you…”

Loki, who made no effort to hide his anger, didn’t let him finish. “Oh, you don’t have to say anything. You forgot about what kind of people I grew up around? The same you grew up with. They smile at you, shake your hand and act like your best friends. After some time you can tell by their eyes that they despise you. I can tell what you’re thinking even when you’re not saying it.”

“Oh come on, give me a break! I didn’t…” Tony stopped as soon as he realised that he was raising his voice. After clearing his throat he tried for a second time. “I didn’t say anything that would imply such a thing. Didn’t you tell me yourself that there is a life after me? I took you home, you pretty much begged me to let you suck my cock. I know a thing or two, so don’t pretend to be an innocent angel.”

It was unfair and Tony knew that, but what was he supposed to do when Loki was pushing all of his buttons.

When Loki opened his mouth Tony was sure that he was about to be yelled at and Natasha would come in to see what this was all about. None of that happened. Loki seemed to be at loss for word, an unbearable state of being. Seemingly unable to continue their fight Loki got up from the chair and walked towards the door. Two steps. Three. Then he suddenly stopped, turned back around to look at Tony who immediately wished who could take back what he had said. All of it. Although he was so worried about Loki’s age, he forgot about it again and again. Especially when he was talking to him. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might hurt him… that there was anything he could do to hurt him. That Loki would care…

“Fuck you… Do you know why you don’t quit? Because you’re just like them. You pretend that you hate it or that you have no other choice, but in reality you don’t want to admit that you’re getting comfortable. You let them suck all life out of you and now you’re looking down at people who still have some of it…”

Normally a comparison between Howard and him would have caused Tony to completely lose his mind. He should feel the urge to yell at Loki, to tell him to go to hell and that he didn’t know what he was talking about… Tony would have done just that if he hadn’t felt like a complete hypocrite. There was no way to deny that Loki had a point. Tony hated it, but it was true.

Instead of angry Tony found himself feeling guilty. An almost overwhelming sensation that Tony couldn’t fight down.

“Wait… uhm…” Running one hand down his face Tony got up and Loki held his gaze with these green, aching eyes. Even now Tony couldn’t help noticing how beautiful he was. It wasn’t a good idea, but it was his mistake and Tony had to make up for it. Walking around the desk Tony only stopped in front of Loki who looked at him with that malevolent gaze which seemed so out of place, coming from Loki.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean it that way. You pissed me off and I know you did that on purpose, but… It’s none of my business what you do or what you don’t do… I don’t think that you’re putting out to everyone. Okay? I… you… know how to make me lose my shit and then I try to do the same… I’m sorry, okay?” Not his best apology, but at least Tony meant it and that was important, right?

For a second Loki narrowed his eyes, unsure if he should believe what Tony had just said. Then his expression grew softer and he nodded. “What I said… you are not like them. I was merely trying to… piss you off… because I’m still angry at you for pushing me away…”

What was Tony supposed to stay now? Sorry? Letting out a long breath Tony tried to keep his voice as soft as possible. “Loki, you are 15…”

The frustrated moan Loki let out was so funny Tony wasn’t able to hold back a little chuckle. Loki’s reaction was to rest his forehead against Tony’s shoulder. This was bad. Tony should take a step back, avoid any form of body contact, but he didn’t want to. His hand came up to squeeze Loki’s shoulder and somehow it ended up on the back of his neck. Loki’s skin was radiating with warmth and Tony wanted to fall straight into it. He could hear Loki sucking in a breath, but Tony couldn’t feel it through his touch. Within the same second Tony was seized by the urge to feel every bit of it in every way possible. Completely on their own his fingers slid upwards into those silky strands of pitch black hair.

Loki raised his head and perhaps Tony just wanted to know if it could be different. When Tony kissed him he was gentle, almost tentative. Still the same sweet, soft mouth. Just as perfect. This was the first time a kiss between them wasn’t completely rushed or fierce and Tony almost couldn’t take how good it felt anyway. It wasn’t supposed to be that way and yet why change it? Loki’s hands came to rest on Tony’s waist, he slightly tilted his head so they could kiss with more ease and Tony pulled him close. He felt Loki pushed him backwards, moving along with him and Tony didn’t resist him. Eventually his legs connected with the chair Loki had been sitting in and now he was pushing Tony down onto it. One second later Loki was on top of him, sliding into his lap, still kissing him. Tony could feel Loki’s weight on him and it felt good. Great even. Loki’s hands were on his shoulders, Tony’s on his hips.

“Where are you going with this, Mr. Stark?” Loki was more or less sighing against his mouth and Tony couldn’t remember wanting anything in his life as bad as he wanted this kid.

“I have no idea…” Tony brushed his mouth over Loki’s. “But we gotta stop this now… if Natasha comes in here to bring me some files… we’d be so screwed…”

“I’m sure she’d knock…” Loki leaned in to kiss him again and Tony let him for a moment before pushing him away. Green eyes stared down at him, ready to snap if Tony said the wrong thing. If Tony told him to leave one more time…


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Tony and Loki do a lot of talking... and that's pretty much it ;)
> 
> Have fun

Tony was wearing sunglasses. As if that would make any difference. Fucking ridiculous. He had put them on when he got into his car, had kept them on all the way here and only now, here in the elevator, he was starting to realise how immensely stupid this was. Unnerved Tony put them off and slipped them into the pocket of his jacket.

The numbers on the display told him that he wasn’t even close to the final floor and just to be sure Tony checked his lower arm. The letters on his skin were already smudged and almost illegible by now. It didn’t matter, because Tony had known them by heart three seconds after Loki had written them down. There had been enough time to copy the address on a piece of paper, but Tony hadn’t. Even now he couldn’t tell why.

Another stupid thing to do. Everything about this was crazy and Tony didn’t even care. From the moment he had left his office until right now Tony had done a perfect job at not thinking about the implications of what he was doing. Whenever sanity tried to get some weak hold of him he remembered the feeling of Loki’s lips against his ear and the words he had whispered. So much about sanity…

The elevator stopped and Tony got out as soon as the doors were open wide enough for him to slip through. His heart was beating a bit too fast and Tony wondered if this was nervousness or eagerness. Neither would be a good sign.

Standing in front of the door that was indicated on his lower arm Tony knocked softly and not even three seconds later it was being opened. Not very subtle or discrete and Tony didn’t care. He slipped into the apartment and Loki closed the door behind him. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“Yeah, me neither…” Tony’s voice turned into a sigh and Loki turned away, casually walking towards the bar that was installed next to couch. To calm his nerves Tony did a little look around. A penthouse like he had seen them before, a very open living room and huge windows that offered a spectacular view across the city. It was nice, modern, stylish. Dream come true for a teenager who could do whatever he wanted here.

Loki was already coming back, two glasses in his hands, offering one to Tony. “Let’s sit down.”

They did just that. Tony sat down on the slightly bigger couch, Loki on the other one right opposite of him. Taking a sip from his drink Tony hoped that it would calm down his nerves, but the vodka had no effect except for a burning sensation in his throat.

“You wanted to talk…” Loki crossed his legs, putting his natural elegance on display. Instantly Tony felt his anger being nurtured, because Loki looked so perfectly calm and relaxed which he couldn’t be.

Fine, time to set the record straight. This bullshit had been going on way too long. “Yeah, I wanted to know what the fuck you want from me?”

Loki looked like he was about to laugh and Tony felt his heartbeat speeding up. “I thought I’ve made myself clear. Several times… “

“You are gorgeous, you can find somebody to fuck you everywhere.” Like right here and Tony was trying not to stare at Loki taking a sip from his glass.

“Maybe it’s not just about that.” His green eyes lingered on Tony’s face, full of promise and suddenly he was looking so young. Like a 15yearold. “Maybe I like... the way you treated me, looked at me… and I like it that Odin hates you.”

Well, at least he was honest.

Putting his glass away Loki smiled at him. The same way he had done so many times before – teasing and cheeky. “What about you? What do you want from me?”

Tony had the answer to this on the tip of his tongue. The right answer. I want you to leave me alone, you annoying little shit… It was what he should say, but the words weren’t leaving his mouth. Loki would be able to twist every single one, to use them to his advantage. After all Tony had come here when he could have easily stayed away.

“Fine, I wanted to fuck you. Because you are gorgeous and I was in an extraordinarily bad mood. That’s about it. I know. I am a shallow bastard. Who gives a fuck?”

Loki cocked his head, still watching Tony intently which was unbearable. “I’m pretty sure you’ve already realised this, but… I’m very smart. I can tell when somebody is trying to sell me some bullshit.”

“Being smart doesn’t mean you’re safe from overestimating your own abilities… you don’t know everything.”

“No and I don’t pretend I do… but I know you want me.” His voice was a soft whisper and it wrapped itself around Tony’s sanity. “But everybody else did such a marvellous job at telling you what you’re supposed to do, what you are allowed to do… now you’re so fucking scared of doing something you want. Just stop making up excuses.”

Excuses? God, it had to be amazing to be 15 years old and think that everything was so incredibly simple. “You know it’s a bit more complica-“

“No, it’s not! It’s pathetic. For one second you gather up the courage to actual do something and then you run away. I am so tired of this. So you’ve come here… Time to run away or…” Loki trailed off, a smile was dancing around his lips. Ever so soft and sweet. Completely out of place. He was right, Tony wanted him.

All about it. The expression on Loki’s face when he lost all control when all that cockiness had been wiped away by pure pleasure and desire. Tony wanted to take him apart, to own him…

“Okay, close the door behind you on your way out.” Standing up Loki turned around to refill his glass at the bar and Tony watched his back. The tight jeans, the lovely shape of his hips.

Tony thought back to when he had been 15. When he had told people straight to their face that they could go and fuck themselves. When he had plans, things he wanted to do, dreams he would be chasing… Before Howard had wiped it all away and Tony… had let him…

He only realised what he was doing when Tony was already behind Loki. Without any softness he grabbed Loki’s shoulder and forcefully spun him around. For a second Tony got a glance of Loki’s green eyes before he smashed their mouths together. Loki didn’t get the chance for a proper reaction, because Tony kissed him with uncontained vigour, pulling Loki against him. The desire to feel him all over was unbearable, overwhelming. Tony was already pulling at Loki’s clothes when the kid finally got over his shock and kissed him back.

The same ferocity, the same intensity and Tony wanted to drown in it. The sensation of wanting somebody so much and having that person wanting him just as bad was something Tony hadn’t felt before. Not like this. He had no idea where to put his hands when he needed to touch every single piece of skin, every part of Loki’s body.

After the first and only time Tony had fucked him he had never seen that pure white skin again. They had been so frantic and eager that Tony hadn’t taken the time to actually look at him. Take in the details, marvel at him some more. Unfortunately he knew with certainty that the very same thing was going to happen right now. Tony had no desire whatsoever to take his time.

Loki opened his mouth while sliding his fingers into Tony’s hair, pulling his head down to kiss him deeper. Tony’s hands went straight for Loki’s sweet, tight ass. He couldn’t resist giving it a squeeze before pulling Loki against himself, pressing them together.

A soft moan passed Loki’s lips and something inside of Tony snapped.

Feverishly Tony reached for the hem of Loki’s sweater and more or less tore it over his head. Perfect pale skin was revealed and Tony pushed him back, so Loki was with his back against the bar. Letting aggressively brush his mouth over Loki’s perfect, white neck Tony used his fingers to undo Loki’s jeans.

This was still Loki, he was doing a good job at keeping up with Tony. With unexpected and yet somewhat rushed finesse Loki worked the buttons of Tony’s shirt open, his hands running over bare skin as soon as it was within his reach. Unceremoniously Tony pushed Loki’s jeans and underwear down his legs, Loki stripped Tony’s jacket off his shoulder and all of this was still taking too long.

Tony was tired of waiting, pining and getting teased. Of pretending that this wasn’t exactly what he was thinking about when he was near the kid.

Grabbing Loki Tony lifted him onto the bar and slid between his legs. They were kissing again, Loki’s teeth were grazing over Tony’s lip and Tony needed… When he tried to move away ever so slightly Loki’s fingers clawed into his shirt. “Wait…” He breathed the word against Tony’s mouth, his tongue brushing over his lips. “My jeans…”

Tony wasn’t sure if they had the same thought, but when he leaned down and reached into the pockets of Loki’s discarded jeans he found a condom and a little package of lube. Although he wanted to Tony didn’t comment on this, perhaps there would be time later on.

“Hold on…” Lifting one of Loki’s legs Tony placed his foot against his shoulder and didn’t even give him a moment to check out how perfectly spread out Loki was now in front of him. Instead he slipped one lubed finger into Loki’s hole, starting to prepare him messily. Loki grabbed the edge of the bar, steading himself so he wouldn’t slide off it. Tony caught a glance of him gritting his teeth and bit down on Loki’s shoulder.

“Shit…” The moan was drawn out when Tony pushed his finger deeper, then quickly adding a second one. Thanks to their one night together Tony knew that Loki could take him being rough. A few more moments of half-hearted preparation until Tony pulled his fingers out and quickly unfasted his pants. Covering his straining cock with the condom caused Tony to hiss in pleasure and frustration.

Tony stared into wide, beautiful green eyes and pushed inside. Loki’s grip on him tightened instantly, his nails digging into Tony’s flesh through the shirt, but he didn’t feel any of it. All Tony was aware of was that incredibly tight heat that was surrounding his cock.

God, Tony hadn’t known how much he had missed this.

Placing his hands on Loki’s hips Tony pulled him slightly forward and pushed deeper into him at the same time.

“Tony!” Loki’s voice had been reduced to a hoarse rasp, his long legs wrapped themselves around Tony and it was perfect. “Please fuck me… please…”

To hear him like this. Not demanding but pleading. So wanton and willing to let Tony do whatever he wanted with him. Holding back was the last thing on Tony’s mind and wouldn’t have been able to anyway. His thrusts were hard, fast and Tony was using his entire body to deliver them. Loki was clinging to him, squirming and moaning, his head thrown back. Tony had never seen anything as sexy as the look on Loki’s face while he was fucking him.

So Tony kept his eyes on Loki’s face while shoving his cock again and again into that ass which was gripping him so perfectly. Made for Tony. Made for his cock. Made for him to fuck it…

“That’s what you want… my cock inside of you… isn’t it?” Tony was panting against Loki’s ear, barely able to use words, dizzy with pleasure.

There was no coherent reply, Loki merely whimpered, pushing back against Tony as best as he could. Every thrust sent another wave of pleasure through Tony’s body and he wanted to get deeper inside, he wanted him in all ways that were possible…

By now the bar was shaking with the force of his thrusts, the bottles were clanging and Tony didn’t try to hold back when he felt his orgasm approaching. He wanted nothing more than to come, to finally get rid of all that pent-up passion, already knowing that it wouldn’t be enough.

Leaning forward Tony captured that sweet mouth in an especially filthy kiss and let go. His breath was knocked out off his lungs when Tony eventually reached his climax and lost himself in the bliss of relief. Gasping for air Tony wrapped his hand around Loki’s neglected erection, but all it took was a quick tug and a flick of his thumb and Loki was coming. A sight to memorize, Loki was fucking beautiful when he was coming.

Not moving at all Tony waited for his breathing to calm down, enjoying the aftermath of his orgasm. Rushed, quick and still some of the best sex he’d ever had.

Loki’s cheeks were flushed, his green eyes dazed, hair slightly tousled and his lips were parted. How could Tony already want him again?

“We should… take a shower…” Loki’s fingers were caressing the back of Tony’s neck and yeah, he was right about that.

Tony carefully pulled out, but caused Loki to wince nevertheless. Stripping off the condom Tony knotted it before dropping it to the floor. The rest of his clothes followed and Loki who had slid off the bar grabbed his hand. Without a word Loki led him to the bathroom where they got into the shower together.

Finally Tony could look at him. All white skin, lean and softly defined muscles. A small birthmark on his hipbone. Long, delicate fingers that moved across Tony’s chest. “You are gorgeous…”

Tony could think of a lot of people who would have blushed, lowered their eyes and only hinted at a smile, but Loki didn’t. His lips formed a cheeky grin and his fingers slid upwards, around Tony’s neck. “I’m glad I please you…” A mere whisper against Tony’s mouth and he was forfeit.

For a second he had been about to forget what Loki could do to him when he used his words. Filthy, challenging, every single syllable filled with an innuendo and Tony believed every bit of it. Judging by his mouth Loki definitely wasn’t 15…

Pushing that though away Tony pulled him close, melting into the kiss. It was relaxed, slow, but definitely not sweet. He let Loki be the dominating one, deepening the kiss and Tony felt his skin heating up, which had nothing to with the water pouring down on them. Loki’s hands began exploring Tony’s back, fingers tracing his muscles and his tongue slipped between Tony’s lips.

A soft tingle started in Tony’s shoulders, spreading across his whole body and he wanted to touch him. Everywhere and Tony didn’t just want to use his hands.

It was no easy task to tear his mouth away from Loki’s, but Tony made up for it by licking some of the water off his neck. Loki’s shudder didn’t go by unnoticed and Tony felt a strange, but massively enjoyable mixture of smugness and arousal. There was also the urge to mark him, to find out what Loki would let him do. When Tony softly bit down he could hear Loki moan and he squirmed a bit in Tony’s arms. So Tony tightened his grip on him and his heartbeat sped up when Loki tilted his head, offering him more space. Tony jumped at the opportunity, tracing the spot where he had just bitten him with his tongue. Loki tasted wonderful, like something Tony wasn’t supposed to have.

“Tony…” Loki’s fingers dug into the small of his back and now it was Tony’s turn to moan in pleasure when Loki shamelessly rubbed his groin against Tony’s. Fisting on hand in Loki’s hair Tony twisted his head to the side, sucking hard on his neck while moving his hips against Loki’s. He could feel himself grow hard again and Tony was aching all over to have him again. To make up for all the misery he had put Tony through…

There was nothing slow or soft about the next kiss. Passion, yearning and want. Tony blindly reached for the faucet, turning off the water and Loki got the hint. After brushing his wet hair out of his face Loki grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the shower. Both of them were dripping, but neither of them cared.

Tony let Loki pull him into the bedroom before he took control and pushed him down on the bed. The sight of him lying there on display, waiting for Tony was too good and sinful to marvel at him for too long. Without any kind of hesitation Tony was on top of him, kissing him hard while Loki was pulling up his legs, letting Tony settle in between them. They kissed messily and Tony choked back a moan when Loki pushed his hips up against him. Tony wanted to fuck him right now.

“We need…” Loki wouldn’t let him get any further, smothering Tony’s words with another filthy kiss. At the same time he was reaching out for the nightstand a moment later he pressed a condom and a bottle of lube in his hand. After pulling away Tony put on the condom as fast as he could and lubed himself up. Lying back down between Loki’s spread legs Tony lined his cock up to Loki’s entrance and immediately pushed inside. Loki was still stretched and loose and allowed Tony to easily slide in deep.

“So fucking amazing…” Tony moaned in pleasure, holding still for a second. Not really to let Loki adjust, but rather to stop himself from coming so ridiculously soon.

Loki’s arms went around his shoulders, the kid pushed his hips down on Tony’s cock and that was it. Covering Loki’s body completely with his own Tony buried his face in the crook of Loki’s neck and started thrusting relentlessly. His hips were finding a rhythm completely on their own, pushing over and over again into that hot tightness. There wasn’t a single thought in Tony’s head, his body had taken over, completely reduced to the magnificent feeling of these tight muscles gripping his cock. He was only partly aware of the constant moans and whimpers that were coming from the person beneath him. Fingers were clawing at his back, hips moving with him, twisting and turning to somehow get his cock deeper inside.

Panting against Loki’s skin Tony sped up his thrusts, overwhelmed by pleasure and ecstasy. Getting completely lost in the heat Tony was only half aware of himself wrapping a hand around Loki’s cock, jerking him off without much skill. When Tony felt him shudder and come against his stomach he only had a few more thrusts left. Pulling completely out Tony pushed back inside and emptied himself into the condom.

His orgasm left him feeling like there wasn’t a single bone in his body, almost as if he was floating. In reality he was collapsing on Loki, breathing heavily. Loki’s fingers were ghosting lazily over his back and Tony was tempted to fall asleep on top of him. Right now he felt perfect, sated, relaxed, fucked out. It could only go downwards from here.

When he thought he could move again Tony pushed himself up on one hand, the other one around his cock while he was slowly pulling out. The second condom received the same treatment as the first one and then Tony made himself comfortable next to Loki. He couldn’t fight off a feeling of surprise when Loki put his head on Tony’s chest. Not as surprised as when Loki spoke up. “So can we have an actual conversation now?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, we need a break and we could perfectly use it to talk… You’re not going to run away with come all over you and we can’t fuck, so tell me something about you…” Good lord, the kid sounded serious. He actually wanted Tony to think, a task that seemed pretty impossible right now. Still Tony didn’t put up a fight. “Fine, ask me a damned question…”

It wasn’t necessary to see Loki’s face to know that he was grinning. “Cool… What’s your favourite colour?”

No way. Tony must have fucked his brains out. This was a hallucination. “Are you…”

“No, I’m not fucking kidding you. Stop repeating yourself and answer my fucking question. It’s not that difficult.”

Fine, whatever game that was supposed to be… “Red. It’s red. I’ve always wanted a red Christmas tree and I look fucking amazing with a red tie… Does that information help you in any kind of way?”

“Sure…” Loki placed his hand on Tony’s thigh, casually running his fingers over it. “Star Trek or Star Wars?”

Oh, come on… “Where are you… Fine… Star Wars.”

“How do you drink your coffee?”

“Black and with a shot of whiskey. Seriously, what are you doing?”

Loki twisted his head to look at him and his expression made clear that he thought that Tony was asking the stupid questions. “I’m trying to learn some other things about you than the fact that you’re a hothead and that you’re an amazing fuck… Now stop complaining. What’s your favourite book?”

Instead of answering him Tony stared at him with wide eyes. He had no idea how to take this. It was weird. No, weird was too strong of a word. Unexpected? Hell, this morning Tony hadn’t expected that he would end up fucking Loki. Twice. Shit… what had he…

“Ouch! Are you fucking insane?”

Without any care whatsoever Loki had rammed his fingernails into the soft flesh of Tony’s thigh. “You are thinking too much… Don’t ruin it. What’s your favourite book?”

“I don’t know… When I was young I loved the Jungle Book. Not the movie, the book. It’s the first thing that comes to my mind.”

“Chocolate or crisps?”

“I don’t have a sweet tooth. I hate candy…”

“When you showed up here… what were you planning on doing?” Loki’s voice had turned soft, his eyes attentively watching Tony’s face.

At least this one was easy to answer. “I have no idea…” Absently Tony reached out and let his fingers run through Loki’s hair. “I have no idea what I’m doing right now…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know... "talking" :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> This time they actually do talk a little bit and things get swkward again :)
> 
> Have fun :)

“Sometimes that’s not so bad…”

Tony wanted to laugh at that bizarre statement and closed his eyes in frustration. “It kind of is bad when you’re committing a felony…”

“Oh, fuck that. I am Icelandic. I’m completely legal in Iceland…” There was no need to see Loki’s face to know that he was incredibly annoyed, his voice made it perfectly clear.

“Too bad that doesn’t count since we’re here in the US…”

“Let’s be honest, this country sucks… I could instantly name 20 European countries where we’d be allowed to do whatever the fuck we want… This is just ridiculous.” He was rolling his green eyes, Tony was sure.

What a surprise. A 15 year-old didn’t think highly of a law that told him to stay away from sex until he was seventeen. “It’s not the fact that you are… 15… okay? You are old enough to screw whoever you want, but I am 16 years older than you. That’s the problem. Hell, you’re still in school and what the hell am I even supposed to talk with you about?”

“Whatever you want, but you gotta open your mouth and fucking talk with me. Ask me a question.”

Opening his eyes Tony saw that Loki was smiling at him. Encouragingly. Weird. “You want to have a conversation? What about?”

“Whatever you want. Just start fucking talking and stop complaining…”

Tony should just get up and leave. Run away. Yeah, because that had worked out so well for him until now… also, it would definitely upset Loki and Tony didn’t want him running to… anyone to tell what they had just done. Talking. Okay, he could do that. “You said you were from Iceland? I thought your dad emigrated when he was in his twenties.”

Loki pulled a face and Tony wanted to slap himself, because he thought it was cute. “Yeah… but I was born in Reykjavik and lived there until I was five. Well, most of the time, we’ve spent the summers in New York. I barely got to see Odin until I was 6. Good times. Then we moved to New York and I got to spend the summers in Iceland. Until they sent me off to boarding school… to London.”

Good, Tony knew about the boarding school, they could continue from there. “British boarding school? Sounds like a nightmare?”

Tony felt a strange sting when Loki lowered his eyes, sighing softly. “I loved it. I loved London, I had a lot of friends, the school was great and there was an ocean between me and Odin. It was amazing… Of course Odin had to ruin it and pull me out.”

Preferring boarding school to his actual home? A thought that Tony could get behind. “Uhm… I heard a rumour that you were kicked out.”

Finally something that seemed to entertain Loki. A soft chuckle escaped his lips and it was honest, light. “Sounds like something I would do?”

“Kind of, yeah. I can imagine you doing something like that…” Tony felt his mouth forming a smile and Loki huffed. “Yeah, I guess I can’t fault you for that… No, I didn’t do anything like that… One day they just called me and told me that I would be coming back to New York at the end of the month. No discussion. Well, here I am…”

It didn’t a genius to figure out that Loki had probably attended one of the finest schools in the entire UK and that his family had spent a fortune on it. Why would they suddenly pull him out? “Didn’t they tell you the reason why?”

Shifting around a bit Loki tried to get more comfortable before he responded. In the tone he always used when he was talking about Odin. “I need to be prepared to take over the big, great empire.”

Being forced into family business… Loki was preaching to the choir. “Isn’t Thor supposed to take care of that?”

Loki started to laugh at the joke Tony didn’t know he had made. “Thor? Yeah, sure… Odin thinks he’s too stupid to ever run the company and he may be right about that. That’s why he adopted me in the first place…”

That story again. Thor had told him that it was bullshit, but he had looked pretty uncomfortable when Tony had brought it up. The brothers definitely weren’t of the same opinion. There was no way in hell that Tony wouldn’t try to get some more information about this mess. “Uhm… actually… I talked with Thor about this and he told me that you definitely not adopted and that you are making this shit up.”

“Sure and the fact that he is actually stupid enough to believe this bullshit is the reason why I got adopted in the first place. Odin just wanted a plan B… Didn’t that turn out great?”

“Okay, I’ll play along. Where did you get this idea?”

“I told you before… my parents and my brother, they all have hair like gold and eyes like the sea… Also there are pictures of me as a baby, but no pictures whatsoever of my mother in hospital or even pregnant… they tried to tell me that this doesn’t mean anything and showed me a newspaper article about them having a second child. Great… I’ve always felt disconnected from them… There is no similarity between us. None whatsoever. We don’t look alike and I don’t feel like their kid. Isn’t that enough?”

Shrugging softly Tony let out a sigh. “No, it’s not enough. Me and Howard… we don’t have shit in common and I am definitely his son. I wish I wasn’t but that doesn’t change shit. You hate your dad. Would it really change anything if you were adopted?”

“I am adopted and it pisses me off that they’re not telling me the truth about it. The second I’m turning 18 I will be gone… Odin can run his fucking company alone or give it to Thor. I don’t give a shit about it…” Loki draped one of his legs over Tony’s and he instinctively reached for it. Tony liked the feel of his skin. Soft but hard muscle underneath. He wondered if Loki was working out…

“And what are you going to do then?”

“Going back to Europe.”

“With which money? I don’t think Odin will support you in any kind of way if you choose to fuck off.”

“I told you before, I am smart. I can figure something out. If I have to take a job before going to college, fine with me. I don’t care.”

“Have fun doing that when your dad is trying his hardest to stop you.”

“I am the adopted son of a billionaire, not of a god. He can’t stop me from doing anything if I decide against it.”

“You’d be surprised…”

Tony watched how Loki’s eyebrows went up and there was a soft glimmer in his eyes. It made them stand out even more and they were beautiful. Especially since he was starting to smile now. “Oh, I just learned something about you, Mr. Stark.”

“And what would that be?”

“You like me because I actually have the nerves to do some things that you would have liked to do…”

There may be some truth to that, but Tony had the disadvantage of being an adult. He already knew that a lot of things weren’t going to work out the way Loki wanted them to. What did he know? He was just a kid… Great reasoning, Tony. A kid that didn’t know any better, but that didn’t stop tony from fucking him silly. “Why do you think that I like you at all?”

“Oh, fuck you. Don’t even try to pull this bullshit on me. You’re not that kind of person that would even spend a minute with a person you can’t stand… Unless you are working for them… How about you stop being an ass about everything? First you don’t want to fuck me, then you can’t stand me… Just relax for a moment? I am fifteen, not a fucking child. You’re not a creep and it’s okay to talk to me, not emphasising every two seconds how old I am or how fucking uncomfortable you are. None of that mattered the first time you picked me up…” Loki sounded unnerved and Tony didn’t want to admit that he might have a point.

Pushing Loki’s leg off him Tony sat up and forced Loki to do the same. “That was something different. I wanted to do something stupid…”

The corners of Loki’s mouth twitched the slightest bit and Tony thought that had been the wrong with to say. “Okay, I get that and what’s your excuse for now?”

Tony looked at him, hoping he would find the answer in Loki’s face. He was beautiful and he didn’t give Tony a break. Probably Tony was fucked up enough to like that. “I have no fucking clue. You are an annoying little shit and I do mean that. But… I may happen to like that, because I am an idiot…”

The smile continued to play around Loki’s lips and it was lovely. “Why does that make you an idiot?”

“Because… I am not supposed to be into shit like that. I know it’s bad news… and despite general opinion I don’t like getting into trouble. You have to be aware of… you are trouble. It’s not just your age. It’s your father.”

“You hate your job anyway.”

“Sure, but I like not being in prison and not being listed as a sex offender.”

For some reason Loki thought this was fun and a soft laugh passed his lips. “Relax, I am not going to tell anybody. Nobody is going to find out, unless you tell somebody…” Ever so graceful Loki moved around and slid into Tony’s lap. Placing his hands on Tony’s shoulders Loki brushed their mouths over each other. “You say it’s trouble, but… I know you also think it’s exciting…”

Lips brushed over his neck and Tony couldn’t stop himself from sighing in pleasure. Another thing that he shouldn’t do, but after fucking Loki two times it didn’t make any damn difference. Loki’s thumb drew small circles around Tony’s nipple while his lips were ghosting over his neck. “You know… there’s another reason why I got pulled from school… I’m pretty sure…”

Tony tilted his head, one of his hands tracing down Loki’s spine.

“Usually parents think that an all-boys school is the best way to keep from doing something stupid – like having fun… Odin got word that I don’t need girls around to have some fun…” His wicked tongue licked over Tony’s neck and that wasn’t helping him to instantly scratch the word ‘all-boys school’ from his mind. Forever. “So being here and doing this with you makes it even better…”

Curling his fingers in Loki’s hair Tony pulled him slightly back. “That’s not as big of a turn-on as you might think…”

“You wanna know a secret…” Loki leaned in again, his mouth sliding over Tony’s. “You are complete turn-on.”

It was so simple and it shouldn’t cause Tony’s heart to beat a little bit faster. They ended up kissing and a thought came to Tony’s mind. How nice it would be to do this all the time. To have him in his bed and maybe just… around? Silly thoughts. But Loki was here with him, wasn’t he? Not with… “Okay, now… listen…” Tony murmured between two long kisses. “You are driving me insane… in all ways possible. I fucked you and it was amazing. And I really need to know what you are going to do….after I get out of here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fine, what are… we going to do? It’s not like we can do this again…”

In response Loki smashed his mouth onto Tony’s and maybe that was an attempt to kiss and suck all life out of him. Not the worst way to die. “But I want to do this again. I want to do it slow and again and again… I want you to show me a thing or two… and nothing’s stopping us than your… nerves.”

How nice when life seemed to be that easy. “You want me to be your dirty little secret?”

There it was again, that smirk. “I thought I could be yours… Why should we pass on something that we both enjoy?”

A feeling of dread spread inside of Tony’s guts and he suddenly felt the strong urge to shove Loki off him. It had nothing to do with the kid though. Loki was very capable to becoming the most prominent thing on Tony’s mind and only now the thought of Pepper couldn’t be ignored any longer. Tony had done a lot of stupid stuff in his life and he hadn’t always been completely honest, but he had never cheated on the person he had been with. There had always been other way for him to fuck up his relationship or a good reason why not to get into one at all.

Pepper was great, lovely, beautiful and she didn’t deserve to be cheated on. The circumstances didn’t matter and Tony wouldn’t even start to make up excuses for himself.

“What’s wrong? What’s that look?” Loki tilted his head, his eyes carefully reading Tony’s face.

“I… I have a girlfriend and I don’t… I don’t do shit like this. I don’t want to be a person that cheats…”

“Hate to break it to you, but it’s a little too late now. Don’t you think there might be a reason for it… Okay, I’ll give you some space. Because you know… I am able to do that despite what you might think.” Loki pecked him on the lips before crawling out of the bed and disappearing in the adjoining bathroom.

What? Now he was leaving Tony alone? It shouldn’t feel like such a surprise. Was he supposed to ponder now? What the hell was he going to do? There was no way he could go home, smile and continue with Pepper like nothing had ever happened. He was not going to be that kind of asshole who told themselves that they would spare their partner the pain by not telling them about the betrayal. The damage was already done and… if he could ask for forgiveness and maybe they could… Did Tony even want that? Would that work out? With Loki still in the picture?

Fuck, he couldn’t think about this still lying in this bed, reeking of sex and come. Tony needed to get out of here and before that he needed a shower. A real one. Without the kid. Then Tony would go home and gather up what was left of his sanity and brain. Hopefully he would come up with something to get out of this mess.

So Tony waited until Loki got back, trying to not think about anything until then. Loki was wearing black shorts, rubbing his hair dry with a towel and he was smiling softly at Tony. That was the last thing he should be seeing right now. “Guess it’s my turn now…”

Not waiting for any kind of answer Tony slipped past him into the bathroom. He felt an immense relief when nobody tried to join him in the shower and Tony kept it as short as possible. Suddenly he wanted nothing more to get out of here and at the same time he felt bad for it. After finishing his shower Tony wrapped a towel around his hips and went to search his clothes. Still next to the bar.

He was half dressed when Loki showed back up, playing with a black pen in his fingers. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, I…” Tony was already thinking about excuses and then realised that he didn’t have to say anything. If he wanted to, he could just leave. “Yes.”

He almost expected Loki to cause a scene or to start arguing, but none of that happened. “Alright… just one more thing…” Wrapping his fingers around Tony’s wrist Loki began writing something down on Tony’s lower arm. For the second time today. Several numbers… “Give me a call, will you? You might feel more at ease if you’re talking on the phone.”

Next thing Loki did was leaning up and kissing him. A mouth made for him…

“See you, I guess…” A goodbye couldn’t be more awkward and Tony sighed in relief as the door closed behind him. What had he done and what was he supposed to do now? The right thing? At least that was obvious. Tony had no idea what he actually wanted.

Although he felt ridiculous doing it Tony slid his sunglasses back on as he made his way to the elevator. Tony was incredibly grateful that he didn’t meet anybody until he was in his car. On his way home Tony still wasn’t ready to think about any of this. Which was pathetic, because getting himself into this shit hadn’t been that hard…

Evidently Tony was very bad at saying no to a 15 year old kid who told him that he wanted him. Probably because Tony wanted him too and maybe Loki had a point. Did he really care about his age? Loki didn’t act like somebody who was 15 years old and judging by his looks… he would be around 17.

Glancing at the numbers on his arm Tony felt the frustration building up even more. How did Loki think that this was going to work out? What was he supposed to do? Starting a secret affair with the underage son of his boss. Best idea ever… Loki was smart but young, he had to know about some implications, not all of them. Was he eager to have an adventure with an older man? Or was this some stupid teenage crush? Loki wanted to get fucked a few times, have a nice story to tell and then go back to the teenage boys? Or did he have some different ideas? About them? Tony didn’t even want to think about this…

Damn, he was such a hypocrite. Even now he was only wondering about what this all meant for him. Pepper was at home, probably still concerned about how he was doing and Tony… He had fucked it up. Royally. Howard would be so proud…

When Tony arrived at home he headed straight for the bar, vodka would make him feel better. Hopefully. After his second glass he took another look at the numbers on his arm and contemplated the thought of wiping them off and never going to work again. Scratch that kid from his life.

Yeah, that would be the smart thing to do. Tony pulled out his phone and slowly tipped in the numbers, saving them under the name Apollo. He hadn’t lied to the kid, he did like Loki and he wasn’t supposed to do that. Also Tony didn’t want to be the kind of person who gave a shit about what he was supposed to do. Nor did he want to be the kind of person who cheated on his wonderful girlfriend.

Keeping his hands off Loki had worked out perfectly… and when Tony was perfectly honest with himself he couldn’t rule out that it would happen again.

“Really great decision making, Tony…”

Sitting down on the couch Tony took another sip from his drink, hoping he could find an answer at the bottom of this glass.

The ringing of his phone caused him to almost jump out of his skin. Steve, right… They had said they would talk tonight. Another thing that Tony wasn’t sure of if he could do it. What the hell were they supposed to talk about? Hey, you want to know what I did today? I cheated on my girlfriend with the son of my boss…

Steve would rip him a new one and completely rightly so. Tony so wasn’t in the mood for this. He wanted to lie down, fall asleep and wait until everything had worked out on its own. A man could dream right.

“Hey, Steve-O.”

“What’s wrong?” Damn, not even a second, that had to be a new record for Steve.

“Nothing’s wrong. Why would you think that something’s wrong?”

“I have ears, I can hear that something’s wrong. You and your dad had another talk.”

Yeah, Tony wished that would be it. “No, I…” Closing his eyes Tony tried to buy himself some time. Who’d be willing to listen to this except for Steve? Nobody. Yet everything that Tony would have to say was an attack on Steve’s morals. What a dilemma… Maybe there was a reason why you weren’t supposed to fuck teenagers, it caused nothing but trouble.

“Have I ever told you why I asked Pepper out?”

“Huh? Because she’s a lovely and classy woman?” Steve made it sound like something you should take for granted.

“No… Actually I wanted to prove myself that I am capable of having a normal, functioning relationship… Well, turned out I’m not capable of doing that…”

There was silence at the other end of the line and Tony wanted to throw up. “What do you mean?”

“I fucked it up…”

“Okay. Start over, at the beginning. What happened? What did you do? I’m sure it’s not…”

“It’s exactly as bad as I’ve said… I don’t even want to talk about it. I gotta talk with Pepper soon enough and that’s not something I’m looking forward to…” There was no way Steve would let this go, out of the question. Also there was no way that Tony would tell him or go into detail. He would like to spend the rest of life without Steve thinking he was a complete tool.

“I don’t understand… Tony, what happened? You can’t just… Wait, I’ll come over…”

“What? No! There is no need.”

Steve huffed. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

Well fuck… Was it too late to search for another apartment?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody, 
> 
> Let's see - what's happening in this chapter. Tony does a lot of talking. He talks with Steve, Pepper, Howard and Loki. Wanna bet which conversation works out best? :)
> 
> Have fun

Tony was into his third beer when he heard the key turning in the lock of the door. Huh, so now Steve was using the key again? How come? Nah, Tony didn’t actually care…

“Welcome to the party…” Raising his bottle Tony indicated Steve to come closer who was a good friend, he didn’t even sigh.

“It doesn’t look like a good party.” Stripping off his jacket Steve sat down next to Tony, letting out a long breath. Had he been running here?

Shrugging Tony took a sip from his bottle. “I didn’t say it was a good party and to be honest… I didn’t invite you either.”

“How many parties did you show up to when you actually weren’t invited?”

“Touché…” Tony let his head drop back and closed his eyes. Maybe if he just fell asleep...

No, there was Steve’s voice. So soft and disappointed that Tony’s chest instantly tightened. Steve’s opinion of him was something he actually cared about. “Oh, Tony…”

Opening his eyes again Tony turned his head to look at his best friend. A face that clearly showed that he had just learned about something he didn’t want to know. Information he would have gladly lived without. “What?”

“You have hickey on your neck.”

A cold shudder was running down his spine and Tony instinctively touched his neck. Just wonderful. Tony couldn’t even remember Loki giving him a hickey. Right now Tony didn’t even want to imagine what Loki must look like. After all that biting and sucking on his neck. That thought instantly disappeared again when Tony met Steve’s eyes. No, he wasn’t angry, only disappointed which was way worse. Steve’s disappointed gaze did actually mean something, because he didn’t have any illusions about Tony… or crazy expectations. “I told you I had fucked it up…”

The change happened so quickly it took Tony aback. No pity, but honest worry, he cared and Steve was unable to hide any of it. “But why? I thought you liked her… and things were looking good.”

“Guess that’s why I had to fuck it up. I can’t have somebody work out for me…” That seemed to be the problem, right? Why would Tony concentrate on his relationship with a beautiful, smart and lovely woman when you could fuck the son of your boss who was also a minor?

“I don’t think that’s true, Tony… What happened? I know you don’t cheat…”

Obviously that was not true. “There’s a first time for everything.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. Come on, talk to me. Did you meet somebody? Or… Sorry, I just don’t get it. It’s just not something you’d do.”

“But I did it! Okay? I have a girlfriend, but I had sex with somebody else. End of story.” Tony hissed, a bit too harshly and Steve pulled back. “Okay… I am sorry. I am worried, that’s all…”

What was there to be worried about? It’s not like Tony had done something that could get him into prison… Tony brought the bottle back to his lips, but suddenly felt disgusted with it and put it away. Why getting drunk now? He had been totally sober when he had fucked Loki on the bar. Too late to drink for courage now.

They sat there in silence for a moment, Tony concentrating on not thinking about anything and Steve probably waiting for him to calm down. Steve wasn’t going to let it go, he wasn’t capable of doing that. For now he remained silent and grabbed Tony’s abandoned beer, taking a long sip. “What are you going to do about Pepper?”

“I have to break up with her. She deserves better.”

“Look…” Steve shifted, clearing his throat. “There is no guarantee, but if you tell her… maybe she’ll be able to forgive you. Perhaps you can work it out… Only of course if that’s what you want?” Now he was testing the waters and asking all the questions Tony didn’t want to think about. “I had a great time… I had the most amazing time with… Have you ever had mind blowingly good sex with a person you don’t actually… like?”

The faintest blush appeared on Steve’s cheeks and Tony shook his head. “Forget it. You only sleep with people you like… and it’s not even that. I can’t tell if I actually like him or… if I’m only telling myself that I like him, because I can’t just want to fuck him… that would be terrible…”

“So you didn’t just have a one-night-stand? You know the guy?”

Yes and Tony had even told Steve about him before. Tony felt the urge rising to spill the whole story, to share his frustration with Steve, to tell him that he felt completely lost and that he was slightly scared of how things might turn out. He wanted to talk about Loki, about how similar they were, how different and that Tony had never met somebody who wanted him so much. Maybe for all the wrong reasons, but he wanted Tony…

Did that make it right?

No and Tony should not even try to pretend…

No matter how much he would like to, there was no way he could tell Steve. Not without losing the last bit respect Steve had for him. It was too much. Cheating with a minor? It was bad enough that Tony had no respect for himself left. None.

“I know him from work… Know… I don’t know shit about him… but that he is driving me crazy… So today I went to his apartment to tell him to… I don’t know what I wanted to tell him. I ended up fucking him and I loved it. I loved every second of it. Don’t look at me like that… it wasn’t even that weird hate-sex thing… I liked it and I don’t know if that means that I like him… I have never felt so unsure about something…”

Steve next to him shifted and cleared his throat. Probably he was fighting with himself to keep everything down he actually wanted to say. “I don’t know, Tony… That doesn’t sound like a one time thing. It sounds like you care. A lot.”

“Aren’t you listening? I just told you that I don’t even know if I like him?”

“I was listening and you were talking about that you don’t know how you feel about that guy. You obviously have been thinking about this a lot and you are so desperate to find out what this means… It has to mean something. How do you… Are you in love with Pepper?” Steve already knew the answer and Tony wondered if he should actually say it out loud. What difference would that make?

“No… I like her, I’m aware of the fact that I’ll never find someone as good as her, but… No. I am not in love with her and I will break up with her, because she deserves better. Someone who genuinely cares and doesn’t sleep with other people. Fuck, I don’t want to be that guy, Steve. How did I end up being that guy?”

An arm went around his shoulders and Tony’s first reaction was to flinch, but Steve only pulled him closer. “You aren’t that kind of guy. You’ve made a mistake. Granted a big one, but that doesn’t change who you are and… things are never black and white. You’ll have to try to do better and… figure out what to do about that guy.”

Tony didn’t want to do anything about Loki. For now he just wanted to sit here with Steve and pretend that he had nowhere to go, nowhere to be. Noting to do.

“Everybody makes mistakes, you know. It’s how you deal with them what’s important.”

Although Tony knew better he let out a soft laugh. Another mistake. “Not everybody makes mistakes. You don’t make mistakes.”

There was a little pause until Steve spoke up again, sounding rather astonished. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Tony moved a bit away to look at Steve who was returning his gaze while frowning. “I’ve never seen you making a mistake or not treating anybody the correct way. Perhaps you are too nice to everybody, but that can’t be considered a mistake. You wouldn’t do the shitty things I do…”

“Stop that… I make mistakes too. Everybody does… and you aren’t a shitty person. Stop telling yourself that. A shitty person wouldn’t feel bad about what they have done. You’re too hard on yourself… I don’t want to tell you what do to, because I have no idea what is actually going on, but… take some time out. Some time to think about all of this. To make sure you’re not about to do something that you’ll regret later on.”

Steve was talking about Pepper, still trying to save that relationship, because he thought that she would be best for Tony. There was no way to argue with that. Pepper definitely was the best thing that could happen to him and yet he knew exactly that it wasn’t going to work out. Even if Odin would ship Loki out back to Iceland. Tony had obviously been very ready to cheat on her and that was something he couldn’t put behind him. “It’s not going to work out, Steve. I gotta be fair…”

“I am sorry.”

What was Tony supposed to do with his pity? Another thing that didn’t change anything and he didn’t want Steve to pity him. Tony wanted them to sit down, laugh and play video games. Something ordinary and fun. Or all he wanted was to have Steve around. “Any chance you’re going to stay for the night? I know it’s stupid, but… I don’t want to be alone and get completely hammered…”

There was no immediate reaction, all Steve did was sitting there and looking extremely uncomfortable and Tony felt his frustration turn into anger. He got up from the couch, grabbing his glass and stalked over to the bar. “Nevermind. Thanks for coming over. Don’t let Bucky wait too long…”

“You didn’t even let me say anything.”

“I didn’t met you yesterday, Steve. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything and I still get it.”

“I’m going to stay, okay? I just have to call and let him know that I’m not coming home.”

Great, now Tony was feeling horrible and grateful at the same time. This mess of emotions couldn’t be worse for a teenage girl. “Thank you. Really… You want something to drink?”

While pulling his phone out of his pocket Steve nodded. “Yeah, I’d like a water and you would like one too.”

Already looking out for him and Tony couldn’t fight a smile. “Okay… water. Why not?”

Tony was taking care of this and he could hear Steve mumbling into his phone, some kind of apology. But hey, it was Bucky, so why the fuck would Tony care?

As soon as Steve had hung up Tony turned back around. “Uhm… wanna play some Halo?”

 ***

“No. I don’t accept that. Not without you giving me a reason.” There was a cold edge to Pepper’s voice and the friendly, amiable glint from her eyes was gone. Tony couldn’t fault her for that, she made it harder for him, but he had no right to complain. This was him trying to do the right thing after a mistake.

“Pepper… isn’t it enough when I tell you that you deserve better?” No, it wasn’t and Tony knew that.

“Tony, I swear I will start screaming if you don’t tell me instantly why you’ve decided to walk out on me! Did I…”

No, Tony would not let her finish that sentence. “Don’t even start. You did nothing wrong. Nothing. You are amazing, beautiful, smart, respectful, supportive, independent, a woman who can kick some ass… I fucked up. I… wanted to go out with you to prove myself that I could make it work with someone like you. I got into this relationship for the wrong reasons and that’s not fair.”

Pepper stared at him, her lovely features dominated by anger. “What? And your bad conscience only caught up with you now? What aren’t you telling me? If you want to break up with me, I have to accept that, but only if you give me reason. Something I can believe you.”

What was Tony going to do? Repeat the same lines you heard in movies and read in books? He hated them, because people were confronted with them so much that he thought it was okay to use them. Shifting lightly Tony sucked in a soft breath, trying to gather up the courage he needed to do this.

Why was committing the mistake so much easier than facing its consequences?

“There is somebody else.”

How many reasons were there to break up with somebody? Didn’t it always come down to sex? Not good enough. Too little. Sex with somebody else. It was always the same thing, so Tony didn’t quite understand why Pepper looked so taken aback. This would be the first thing to come to Tony’s mind. Cheating…

“Is that true? Or are you just saying that to make me shut up?”

“No, I… I feel like shit saying this, alright? There is this guy and I think I… I like him. That’s why… No, I can’t do this. I slept with him. Last night.”

Pepper wasn’t the kind of woman to yell or to slap him. She wouldn’t cause a scene. That didn’t mean that Tony hadn’t hurt her. An expression of shock in her beautiful eyes before it was replaced by pain and anger. It was contained, she was in perfect control of herself, but Tony wasn’t fooled. He knew exactly what he had done and he wished he could go back and just leave Loki’s penthouse. For the wrong reasons.

“You cheated on me?” Her voice was only wavering a little bit, but Tony could see the effort it took her and he wasn’t worth any of it.

“Yes, I am sorry. You deserve better…”

For a moment Pepper just looked at him and Tony wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. She then took a slight breath and whispered “Is it Steve?”

Suddenly all the guilt was gone, because Tony could only feel shock. To hear Steve’s name in this context didn’t make any sense. None at all. “What? No! He’s my best friend and he would never do something like that.”

Pepper shook her head, looking so lost and strangely confused. “I’m sorry, I was… I was wondering… No, I don’t even care who it was. I guess… this is it.”

It was simple and Tony felt horrible that she made it so easy for him. No screaming, no insults, she didn’t even tell him what a horrible person he was. Of course not, because she was a great woman with a lot of class, she didn’t need that kind of thing. Tony just wanted to be yelled at, so he could like he had been punished and could go on. Things weren’t supposed to be that easy. Tony didn’t deserve it.

“I want you to leave now.”

Nodding Tony turned around, he didn’t even want to say another ‘I’m sorry’ that wouldn’t help her and was only supposed to make him feel better. The least he could do was to leave her alone.

“Tony… I can’t hold a grudge against someone for leaving their partner for someone else. Everybody has the right to do what makes them happy. But… it would be fair to leave your partner before you sleep with the other person.”

It hit Tony harder than a punch and he slowly nodded. He wasn’t leaving her for another person, he was leaving him, because she deserved so much better.

That night Tony fell asleep thinking about Loki and how not to repeat the same mistake again.

 ***

The next day Tony was going through the motions. He felt strangely numb, his thoughts wandering from Pepper’s hurt eyes and Loki’s smile. Steve called two times, making sure that he was alright and asking how things went down with Pepper. All in all it was an atrocious day and immediately after arriving at home Tony collapsed onto his couch.

Maybe he could now try to clean up his life… unfortunately he had no idea where to start. No idea what to do about Loki or his stupid job or pretty much anything else. Pepper would have great for him and he screwed that up. Or wouldn’t it have worked anyway? Regardless of Loki? Maybe she was not the type of person he needed after all? So what did he need? Or didn’t he need anyone at all?

Why were people making such a big thing out of relationships anyway?

Groaning into a cushion Tony wanted to punish it when he heard his cell phone ringing. He didn’t have the nerve to talk to Howard… Or maybe it wasn’t a bad idea. At least someone he could yell at.

“What do you want?”

“I really hope I won’t read any articles about you publicly hooking up with one of these guys you meet in this appalling clubs.”

Tony sat up straight and a cold shiver was running down his spine. No, no, calm down. This had nothing to do with Loki. That would sound different and Howard had always hated the fact that Tony was bi-sexual. But how could Howard… Swallowing softly Tony came to the instant realisation that Howard already knew that he had broken up with Pepper. Tony tried to play it cool.

“What are you talking about, Howard?”

“A business partner of mine told me that Miss Potts called in sick today for the first time in her career. I thought you were starting to drag her down with you until I heard that you showed up to work. You screwed this up even faster than I expected. Why are you trying so hard to embarrass me? How are you…”

Tony hung up and let out a scream. He was claimed by the desire to trash the room, to destroy something, to find all family photos that he had already thrown away years ago – just to tear them apart. Drive to Howard’s place to fuck up every single one of his cars. Tony wanted to… call Loki.

There was no hesitation or second thought about it. Tony merely the number in his contacts and called. A silent click and his heart was racing.

“Hey Tony…” Loki’s voice sounded better than anything Tony had heard today.

He had no idea what he was doing, but that didn’t stop him from doing it. “Do you sometimes think about me?”

Loki responded with a laugh. “Sure… you know that.” Tony could picture the smirk on his face and the intonation didn’t leave any room for interpretation.

“I didn’t mean it like that. You think about me not picturing me fucking you?”

Why was his heartbeat not slowing down? It wasn’t like he actually gave a crap and Loki didn’t either. He was fucking 15 and wanted to get involved with an older man, because he was a rebellious teenager.

“What? You want to know if I have a crush on you?” For some reason he sounded amused and Tony felt stupid. “Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know.”

This time Loki didn’t laugh, but smiled. Tony just knew. “Yes, I do.”

Probably he didn’t even blush.

“I’m never going to be your boyfriend.”

“I didn’t ask you to be my boyfriend.”

Plain and simple and Tony was so fed up with trying to do what he was supposed to do, what was right and it only ended up blowing up in his face anyway. “I want to see you. Right now.”

Even through the phone Tony could hear Loki’s breath hitch. “Should I… come over?”

“No, I want to get out of here. Can we meet up at your penthouse?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. I’ll take me about 20 minutes…”

“Okay.”

25 minutes later Tony was knocking at the door to the penthouse and it was instantly ripped open. Loki must have been waiting right next to it. “Hey…” He seemed a bit out of breath, his eyes wide and so obviously nervous. Tony was quite sure that he hadn’t expected something like this to happen. Neither had Tony.

“Hey.” After stepping inside Tony pushed the door closed and reached for Loki. The kid was instantly melting into his touch and responded eagerly to the following kiss. Sliding his hands beneath Loki’s shirt Tony shortly broke the kiss to pull it over his head. Loki tilted his up to kiss him again while fumbling with Tony’s belt. They stripped each other off their clothes and Tony carelessly threw his bag onto the couch, pulling Loki against him. Naked pale skin against his and it felt exactly like what Tony needed.

“I want you…” Tony nipped at Loki’s neck, discovering a barely faded hickey and it only stirred his desire for him more. Pushing Loki down onto the couch Tony kissed him deeply and wrapped one hand around Loki’s rapidly growing erection.

“Shit, Tony…” Loki gasped against his mouth and arched up into Tony’s touch. While giving Loki’s cock a few rough strokes Tony rubbed himself against his thigh, the fingers of his other hand sliding beneath Loki towards his entrance. As soon as he rubbed his fingers over it an obscene moan escaped Loki’s mouth. His entire body was shaking with anticipation and Tony wanted to be inside that perfect ass right now. When he let go of Loki’s cock the kid whimpered, still trying to thrust up into his hand, but Tony was already reaching for his bag. “Move.” Tony nodded towards the corner of the couch. “Spread your legs, I want to fuck your ass.”

Loki visibly sucked in a breath, but instantly did as Tony had told him to. Rummaging in his bag Tony pulled out the lube and the condoms he had brought. When he turned back he relished the sight of Loki leaning against the backrest, his legs splayed apart, waiting for him. Tony grew even harder at looking at him and quickly covered his fingers with the lube. Definitely not in the mood to tease him anymore Tony slid a finger inside him, bending over Loki to nip and lick at his chest. It took him mere seconds until Loki was squirming beneath him, obviously not knowing what to do with himself. He tried move against Tony’s fingers and away from the tongue that was circling his nipple.

Tony loved every one of his reactions and he wondered what it would be like to make Loki come just by fingering him. That was one thing he would have to do sometime, like so many other things. After adding another finger Tony twisted them, grinning when they brushed over Loki’s prostate and Loki’s body jerked in response.

“God…” His pupils were blown wide and his hips were rolling into Tony’s fingers, trying to get more of them. In vain, Tony continued to prep him rather quickly before pulling them out completely.

Grabbing the condom Tony told Loki how he wanted him. “Pull your legs up, put your hands on your thighs and keep them up like that.”

Nodding Loki licked his lips and quickly got into position, his breath coming short and fast. In the meantime Tony covered his cock with the condom and lube, almost shaking with need himself. Loki half lying there, holding his legs open for Tony to fuck him was among the sexiest and filthiest things Tony had ever seen. Thanks to the way Loki was pulling up his legs he gave Tony perfect access to his hole which was dripping with lube and only waiting for him to shove inside.

Kneeling in front of Loki Tony used his hand to guide his cock to Loki’s entrance and slammed inside. Loki gasped, moaning desperately and Tony let out a sigh of relief. He placed his hands next to Loki’s thighs and leaned forward to put his weight on them. This way Tony’s arms were pressed against the hollows of Loki’s knees, helping to keep his legs where they were. When Tony rolled his hips experimentally Loki groaned, pressing his eyes shut. “Tony…”

Eager to seek out his own pleasure Tony started a pattern of sharp, short thrusts. Keeping his eyes on Loki’s face Tony marvelled at his overwhelmed expression. He loved how lost the kid got in his lust and pleasure. Lust for him. That mere thought turned Tony on even more, causing him to speed up his thrusts.

“Open your eyes…” Tony panted, leaning forward to lick at Loki’s lips. “I want to see your eyes while I fuck you…”

It made Tony’s arms tremble how willingly Loki did everything he wanted and he continued to stare into wide green eyes while he kept pushing into that tight hole over and over again. Loki squirmed, groaned, arched up against him as best as he could, but the position barely gave him any room to do so. Basically he was lying there, letting Tony fuck him, dominate him and that thought made sure that Tony wasn’t going to last much longer. “Touch yourself. I want to watch you jerking off…”

Because Loki was perfect, wanton and Tony’s Loki did exactly that. Tony watched him stroking himself to completion and Tony fucked him through it. Finally Tony felt his body tensing up and he came with a groan, feeling nothing but complete bliss. Riding his high Tony continued to slightly roll his hips, wanting to relish every second of it, of being inside of that perfect ass.

After eventually pulling out Tony lay down next to Loki and savoured the afterglow. He wasn’t feeling angry anymore. Right now he was feeling perfect.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> So Tony and Loki have sex, but is it just sex? It's confusing ;)
> 
> Have fun :)

“You’re feeling hungry?” Tony watched Loki wandering off into the kitchen. He was rubbing his hair dry with a towel and carelessly dropped it to the floor. Surprisingly enough Tony realised that he hadn’t eaten anything today but a ham sandwich. Following Loki into the kitchen Tony took a look around and he was instantly afraid to touch anything. How was it even possible to keep a kitchen this clean? Had it ever been used?

“Yeah… you want to order a pizza?”

Loki answered with a laugh and shook his head. “No, I am going to cook.”

“You’re kidding me?”

Almost annoyed Loki shook his head and started opening some of the cabinets. “No, I am not kidding. If you can wait 30 minutes I can make us something Italian.”

When Tony quirked an eyebrow Loki sighed softly. “Hey, give me a chance. I’m not serving you some shit you can get at Olive’s Garden. Trust me.”

The challenging expression on Loki’s face was adorable and the fact that Loki would try to kill him for even thinking that made Tony smile. “Okay, go ahead. I’m waiting to be impressed.”

Loki stuck his tongue out at him before gathering the things he needed. Tony watched carefully and noticed an onion, olive oil, rice, a lemon, crème fraiche… “So what’s that going to be?”

“A lemon risotto and it’s going to be awesome. Now talk to me, I need some entertainment while I’m chopping up vegetables.”

“Fine… what is Iceland like. I’ve never been there. I only imagine snow…” Tony shrugged, closely watching Loki’s hands handling the knife. This was weird. Until going to college Tony had never seen a kitchen from the inside. He hadn’t even been able to make coffee.

“What do you want me to say? I am biased. It’s home and I haven’t been there in a while… A few stereotypes are true, it never gets really warm in the summer, but the winter isn’t too cold.”

“Really? I thought Iceland was a rock of ice.”

Putting the chopped up onion away Loki reached for the garlic. “Yeah, but it doesn’t get that cold during the winter. Except for the Highlands and the North. The people are very warm though. Everybody is nice to you and trusting… maybe because there’s hardly any crime. Pretty much everybody has a huge car, a jeep, because there are so many long, really long roads and you might not encounter a person during an entire day on the road. It’s nothing a New Yorker could ever imagine.”

Tony couldn’t fight a smirk. “People being nice or for once not being in an overcrowded spot?”

“Both, I guess…”

They fell silent for a while and Tony observed how comfortable Loki looked in the kitchen. He was starting to feel confident about that risotto. What an unusual sight. Loki cooking, wearing a white bathrobe, his hair still lightly wet from the shower they had taken earlier. Everything about him was beautiful.

“Do you miss it? Iceland?”

Slowly Loki raised his head, meeting Tony’s eyes. “Yeah. I miss Europe in general… I’ve spent so much time in London… It isn’t New York, but it’s still a huge city, full of people. I don’t know if I could go back to live in Iceland. Perhaps it would be too calm… but yes, I miss it.”

There was an immense sadness to this statement and Tony felt bad for bringing it up. Despite having a shitty childhood himself Tony had always lived in New York. He hadn’t been forced to leave his home behind.

“Why aren’t you cooking something Icelandic?”

For some reason that almost made Loki burst with laughter. “A piece of advice – never eat Icelandic food if not in Iceland.”

“Noted.”

They continued their conversation and Tony had to admit that he was feeling at ease. The situation had such an easy atmosphere to it, seeing Loki in other surroundings. Not at the company, not at some horrible business event. It was nice, Tony could just sit here and actually talk to him. Until Loki told him that dinner was ready. Instead of sitting down at the dinner table Loki carried their plates to the living room and sat down on the couch. “Here, enjoy.”

Tony let Loki hand him a plate and he had to admit that it smelled really good. After taking a quick bite Tony’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god… this is amazing! It’s fucking delicious.”

“Why do you sound so surprised? I told you I could cook.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t buy it. No, seriously, it’s great.”

Loki looked so incredibly smug and Tony couldn’t even care, because he was so busy enjoying the hell out of this dish. For god’s sake he had eaten at Five Star restaurants which had served complete bullshit. This was amazing.

“There, you just learned something about me. I can cook. New information.” Loki winked and Tony felt his lips forming a smile.

They continued to eat until Loki spoke up again, this time he was way quieter, sounding almost shy. It was so unusual for him, but as soon as Tony heard what he had to say, he understood. “How did things with your girlfriend work out?”

Not even that question could taint the delicious taste in Tony’s mouth, but it was very hard to swallow. “I told her that I had cheated on her and we broke up. End of story.”

Loki slowly nodded and continued to eat and Tony felt weirdly grateful. There was no pretending, no muttered ‘I’m sorry’ which would have been a lie anyway. No, Loki didn’t say anything and that was good enough. Pepper and Tony weren’t together anymore which was none of his business. It only meant that Tony could sleep with him without feeling like a complete piece of shit.

“You asked a question, I get to ask a question.”

“Go for it.”

In Tony’s mind he had a right to ask this, but he was still feeling stupid. “You’re still seeing the Lehnsherr kid?”

The first answer Tony got was a chuckle and he raised an eyebrow at Tony. “What is so funny?”

“Pietro… he’s cool, but we’re not fucking. Okay? I don’t know where you got that idea from…”

“From his hand on your ass.”

“Ah… yeah, he doesn’t know any boundaries. He touches pretty much everybody this way. He’s a flirt, but pretty much straight.” With a shrug Loki turned his attention back to his plate and Tony stared at him. Okay, that was a surprise and for some reason Tony was sure that Loki was telling the truth. Why should Loki lie to him?

A soft murmur made him wince. “You were jealous of him and I… like that. Don’t try to cover it up either, I can tell.”

Tony huffed. “Don’t get overexcited.” When Loki only continued to smile so arrogantly Tony decided to not say another word until he had finished his risotto. God, he needed to make Loki cook him something more often. Everything about this thought was wrong and Tony knew it, but he didn’t care.

The second he was finished Loki took the plate from him and placed it on the couch table along with his own. Then his fingers were running over the soft fabric of Tony’s bathrobe. “I just came up with a decision. We’re going to do what I want now.”

His determined tone made Tony’s skin tingle and he decided to just go with it. “And what would that be?”

Loki smirked and scooted closer until their sides were touching. Instinctively Tony moved his body towards him. “I want to make out. A lot.”

Something a teenager would want, but that thought didn’t fill Tony with bitterness, because the prospect of sitting here and kissing Loki was… easily something that Tony might enjoy.

Leaning forward Loki brushed his lips over Tony’s. Nothing more than a tease, but then he kissed him and Tony marvelled at how good he tasted. Slowly opening up Tony let Loki kiss him at his own pace, taking his time. Only when Loki slid an arm around his waist Tony started to kiss him back.

They had never really done this before. Not like this. A kiss like this didn’t have to lead to anything and nevertheless it felt captivating. Tony melted more or less into it, amazed how many new details he could find out when he was actually concentrating on the kiss. Loki’s lips were perfectly soft and sweet. He tilted his head to the right and every now and then he let his teeth graze over Tony’s lower lip. That was enough to give Tony goose bumps. The best kind there was.

Putting his hand on Loki’s cheek Tony caressed his skin with his thumb and the kiss got a bit more intense. Playfully Tony slid his tongue between Loki’s lips whose reaction was a sigh. It sounded content, happy and Tony instantly wanted to hear it again. Maybe to even get used to it. He tried to speed the kiss up a bit, but Loki had none of it and kept things slow, but deliciously sensual. Tony had to admit that everything about this was nice and it felt right. Relaxing.

Sliding his hand from Loki’s cheek into his hair Tony softly massaged his scalp and Loki started to actually purr. It was such a lovely sound, it made Tony smile. He was rediscovering how nice it could be to just kiss a person. More than nice, without need to rush this. Loki’s mouth was wonderful, infatuating and Tony could imagine getting completely lost in it.

Tony had no idea how long they had been kissing and he also didn’t care, because it was perfect. Ever so slowly Loki had moved closer and by now he was straddling Tony’s lap. Their kiss was still sweet, Tony’s hands were placed on Loki’s hips while the kid’s fingers brushed over Tony’s neck and eventually started to pull his robe apart. Tenderly Loki let his fingertips ran across Tony’s collarbone, then downwards the part of his chest which wasn’t covered by his bathrobe. The touch lingered exactly over Tony’s heart and he tried not wince. Loki’s reaction was to suck softly on his lower lip and then broke the kiss. No, Tony wanted more of that mouth on him and leaned forward to capture Loki’s lips again, but instead he only got a peck on the cheek.

“What’s this?” Loki’s thumb was tenderly rubbing over the hard tissue and Tony felt the instant desire to bat his hand away. “None of your business.”

Now Loki was looking up, meeting Tony’s eyes and his gaze was as stern as it was gentle. “Don’t. You don’t get to sleep with me and act like a jerk. If you want to be a jackass, fine. Leave and find somebody else to annoy.”

It didn’t need more to make Tony feel like an idiot. Loki was right, he had no reason to lash out or to be sensitive about it. Loki had seen him naked a couple of times now and he hadn’t said anything until now. A question of time.

Fighting with himself Tony kept his hands exactly where they were and let his head drop back against the backrest. Looking up at Loki Tony contemplated his green eyes and that perfectly shaped nose. Loki was exceptionally beautiful and he could be Tony’s if he only decided that he wanted him.

“Sorry…”

Loki nodded, accepting his apology and his fingers were tracing the edges of Tony’s scar with a tenderness he had never experienced before. Nothing about this had ever been tender. “What is it? Was it an accident?”

The thought of the origin of the scar made Tony feel cold, but there were Loki’s fingers and his weight on him. Radiating with warmth. “I was born with a heart condition. Nasty stuff. Howard spent a fucking fortune to fix it. Only nice thing he ever did for me. They cut me open about five times. Last time when I was twelve, then they had it fixed. It’s completely okay now… It did a good job fading away, but…” Lowering his eyes Tony took a look of Loki’s fingers on his skin. “Guess it’ll be always be visible.”

Loki answered with another nod, his fingers caressing it some more before running down the rest of his chest till he reached the fabric of the bathrobe. “Scars make you who you are…”

“Doesn’t mean that they are pretty…”

A smile ghosted over Loki’s face and he brushed his lips over Tony’s while he was working the loose knot open which held the bathrobe together. Tony’s fingers were itching to do the same, but he decided to lean back and let Loki as he pleased. Loki pressed gentle kisses to Tony’s throat, slowly pulling the bathrobe open, revealing Tony’s naked form underneath. Closing his eyes Tony savoured the feeling of Loki’s lips on his shoulder. Eventually Loki began to suck on the same spot where he left the hickey two days ago. Tony reacted with a gasp and he could feel Loki smile against his skin. Was Loki smiling, because he made Tony feel so ridiculously good or because he could make him writhe?

It didn’t matter, especially not when Loki was kissing his neck and wrapped his fingers around Tony’s hardening cock. Sighing in pleasure Tony arched up into the soft touch and Loki circled the tip with his thumb. Almost carefully Loki began to rub Tony’s cock up and down and it left him yearning for more.

Loki kept stroking him while searching for his lips to pull him another long kiss, but he still refused to speed things up. Which didn’t matter, Tony loved it. He felt Loki moving around a little bit, but he continued to kiss him and Loki’s hand was still on Tony’s cock, so he didn’t care.

Tony only opened his eyes when said hand pulled away and Tony watched Loki sliding the condom down his cock. The fleeting touch and the sight itself caused Tony to shiver with desire and his hands tried to get beneath Loki’s bathrobe. Initiating another kiss Loki slightly lifted his hips, slid off the robe completely and settled back down in Tony’s lap. Naked he was even more beautiful.

Letting his hands glide from Loki’s lovely hips to his backside Tony gave both cheeks a little squeeze before trailing two fingers down his crack. Loki pushed his hips forward, to give Tony easier access and moved bestow kisses along his shoulder. Their cocks brushed against each other and Tony bit his lip to stop himself from moaning.

Trying not to shiver with anticipation Tony’s fingers probed Loki’s entrance, gently pushing inside. Again so deliciously tight and hot. How on earth was Tony supposed to not touch him this way? When they were both craving it? Twisting his fingers Tony moved them deeper, stretching Loki open and deliberately searching for his sweet spot. Suddenly the lithe body in Tony’s lap started trembling, the kisses ceased and Loki was rocking back against Tony’s fingers. For a couple of minutes Tony kept moving his fingers in and out of Loki’s hole while the other one was resting his forehead against his neck, hips softly moving along with Tony’s rhythm. By now Tony wanted to bring him off with his fingers, but eventually Loki gripped his wrist and pulled Tony’s hand away. Instead he closed his own around Tony’s condom covered cock and gave it a few more strokes, spreading lube onto it.

Releasing a long breath Tony let his head rest against the backrest Tony let his head rest against the backrest, watching Loki how he lifted his hips and lined himself up with the head of Tony’s cock. To make things easier Loki used one hand to keep Tony’s cock in place when began to slowly push down onto it.

Tony hissed in pleasure as soon as his cock breached the tight ring of muscle, slipping inside the hot tightness. “Yes…”

Loki took his time, pausing for a few seconds before he continued to move down, taking more of Tony inside of him. His breathing was speeding up, so Tony put his hands on his thighs, caressing them gently and did his best to resist the urge to thrust up into Loki. Finally Loki lowered himself completely, sitting on top of Tony, breathing hard and looking like sin personified.

Tony was throbbing inside of him, aroused by the sight of Loki in his lap, relishing the tight grip of the hot muscles around him. To distract himself from his desire to grab Loki and to just fuck him Tony studied his face. Slightly parted lips, closed eyes, flushed cheeks. He was gorgeous.

Eventually Loki placed his hands on Tony’s chest and slowly rolled his hips. Pleasure was racing through Tony’s body thanks to the little shifts although Loki was probably only trying to get into the best position. Moving his lips around a bit Loki leaned slightly forward, causing Tony’s cock to slide deeper inside. The following groan and Loki’s wide eyes proved his surprise and he continued to roll his hips to experiment with the new angle.

Tony bit the inside of his cheek, letting Loki work his hips and pleasure both of them in the process. Loki on top of him, trying to find out what worked best for him was one of the hottest things Tony had ever seen.

Letting his eyes slide closed Loki rolled his hips, grinding against Tony, moaning at the sensation. For a while he continued like this, his mouth ghosting over Tony’s. “I love this…” His voice was hoarse and full of lust, causing Tony’s breath to get caught. “I love it when your cock is inside of me…”

Growling softly Tony squeezed Loki’s thighs. “Fuck, you and your mouth… why didn’t you talk like that earlier…”

Loki laughed hoarsely. “Can’t spoil everything… at the first time…”

Tony’s head was swimming, trying not to think of all the possibilities. Leaning forward Loki kissed him and leisurely raised his hips before sinking back down on Tony’s cock. Both of them moaned in unison into the kiss. Again Loki searched the best angle for him, supported himself with his hands on Tony’s shoulders and continued to slowly move up and down. Loving every second of it Tony struggled to keep his eyes open to enjoy the sight of Loki riding him. Loki established a smooth rhythm, his hips rising and sinking and at the same creating that little circular motion that was driving Tony insane.

No way he was going to make Loki change anything about what he was doing, but he couldn’t just sit there anymore. There for he let his hands run across Loki’s thighs, up his sides, caressing the pale skin. “You look so perfect… so hot. Should have let you ride me way sooner…”

“Oh…” Loki’s rhythm faltered and Tony pressed an open mouthed kiss to his throat. He wondered if he could make Loki fall apart by talking about him, telling him how beautiful and sexy he was. That he was an amazing fuck. Compliments had already proven to be Loki’s weakness.

Playing with both of Loki’s nipples Tony continued to sweettalk him.” You’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever had riding my cock. That’s the perfect place for you isn’t it? On top of me with my cock inside of you…”

Tony hadn’t even finished his phrase when Loki sped up his movements, taking more of Tony inside of him each time now. He was panting, his fingers digging into Tony’s skin, desperate trying to keep his movements in sync. Speaking clearly had stopped to be an easy task, all Tony wanted to do was to moan out his pleasure, but he couldn’t get enough of Loki’s helpless whimpers and other reactions when he talked dirty to him.

Moving his hands back down Tony let a finger run across Loki’s hole where it was stretched around his cock and Loki’s entire body jerked in response. Smiling Tony possessively cupped Loki’s ass with both hands. “Made for me… so perfect. You’re so tight and hot. You want me so much, don’t you? My cock in your ass… Me too. I wish I could stay inside you for days…”

It was too much. Loki fell slightly forward, resting his foreheard against Tony’s, frantically working his hips, losing any kind of rhythm. A desperate whine escaped his lips. “Tony… please…”

Maybe it was a bit cruel, but first Tony kissed Loki’s whimpering mouth and moved his fingers back to where their bodies were joined, teasing the kid in a way he had never experienced. “What do you need, baby?”

“You… more… fuck…” Clearly not knowing what he wanted or needed Loki wailed, still riding Tony’s cock as best as he could.

Tony quickly made up his mind to make it easier for him, to make him go crazy with pleasure. Kissing him almost tenderly Tony whispered against his mouth “I’ve got you, babe… gonna make you feel so good.” Running his hands down Loki’s long legs Tony grabbed them and rearranged them around his own waist. The new angle caused Loki’s eyes widen and he moaned helplessly. “Oh!”

Never had a reaction excited Tony this much. With his hands on Loki’s hips Tony started thrusting into him. Not as hard or fast as the previous times they’ve had sex before, but long, languid strokes. Using his grip on Loki Tony pulled him down onto his cock perfectly timed with his thrusts to get as deeply inside as the position would allow. Each time Loki moaned louder, whimpered, his body trembling and despite Tony’s hands on him he tried moving against him. Tony felt the heat rising inside of them, especially now that Loki was so close to coming. Wanting to see that gorgeous face twisting up in pleasure Tony gave Loki’s pulsing erection maybe two strokes and the kid was coming all over him. An orgasm so powerful his body was jerking, his muscles tensing and Loki was sobbing, burying his face in Tony’s neck.

“So gorgeous…” Tony breathlessly whispered into Loki’s hair while continuing his thrusts into the now completely limp body. Closing his eyes Tony concentrated on the increased tightness, moving faster, harder until there was nothing but bliss while waves and waves of pleasure were running through him.

Loki was breathing softly against his skin and Tony’s fingers were lazily drawing patterns on Loki’s back. None of them said a word until their breathing had calmed down and even then they didn’t move. “I… shit… I had no idea…” Not going into specifics Loki sighed quietly and Tony was pretty sure he was talking about having had no idea that riding a cock could feel so fucking good. Only god knew how much or how little experience Loki had in his department…

“That was true, you know…” Tony nuzzled his nose against Loki’s shoulder. His fingers stroking over Loki’s asscheeks. “I would fuck you for days… if that was physically possible…”

A little chuckle escaped Loki’s throat. “A pity… that was amazing… so good…”

Sliding his fingers in Loki’s hair Tony pulled his head up and kissed him lazily. It was supposed to be quick, but Loki instantly opened up and responded to the kiss. Tony was incapable of passing on something nice and pleasant, so they kept kissing. Loki still on top of him, Tony’s cock still inside of him. Not a good idea, Tony knew that he should pull out, especially because of the stupid condom.

The thought crossed his mind how incredibly good it would feel to actually come inside of Loki. Without a rubber, feeling that perfect ass around his cock. Skin on skin… Pulling away from the kiss Tony discarded the thought. Out of the question. “You should…” With a little push against Loki’s hips Tony smirked at him and Loki got what he meant. All he did was lifting his hips high enough for Tony’s cock to slip out, then he settled back on Tony’s lap. After discarding of the condom Tony wrapped his arms around Loki’s hips. “I’ve had the fucking worst day, but… that was the best evening in years…”

“Years? Best fucking evening of my entire life… and I don’t want it to end yet…” Kissing Tony’s cheek Loki slid his arms around Tony’s shoulders. “Spend the night here? You could fuck me first thing in the morning… or I could suck you off or you could show me something new…”

That sensual whisper shouldn’t come out of the mouth of a 15 year-old and it shouldn’t give Tony goose bumps. As much as he loved the idea of waking up with that lovely mouth wrapped around his cock Tony couldn’t overlook the obvious problem. “I’d love to, but you can’t stay the night away.”

“Oh, please… I am expert at spending nights away and not getting into trouble. Fuck everyone else, I wanna spent the night with you…”

Tony laughed in response, kissing Loki. “Not going to happen, babe…”

***

Soft morning light was entering the room when Tony woke up. Yawning softly Tony rolled onto his back. Some muscles of his body complained, but it was that wonderful pain after a night spent with the most fun activity there was. Yeah, Tony was feeling great. Propping himself up on his elbows Tony looked beside him and there was Loki. Fast asleep, lying on his stomach, his arms placed next to his head. His hair was covering half of his face and he was looking gorgeous. The blanket only reached up to his lower waist and Tony couldn’t resist. Carefully he tugged on the silk sheet, revealing Loki’s naked backside. Tony felt a soft tingle spreading underneath his skin when his eyes fell on these long legs, splayed out, spread wide enough for Loki to be comfortable and for Tony’s thoughts to wander.

Desire was already rising inside of Tony and the idea of fucking a still half asleep Loki was turning him on. Hadn’t the kid said something like that last night? Leaning down Tony pressed a kiss on the back of Loki’s neck which gained him no reaction whatsoever. Playfully Tony let his hand run over the backside of Loki’s thigh and yes, a quick glance at his own cock made pretty sure that he was interested.

Turning around Tony reached for the nightstand and grabbed a condom and the lube, a feeling of excitement settling in his stomach. After covering two of his fingers with lube Tony kissed Loki’s shoulder blades, then left a trial of kisses down his spine. Checking Loki’s face Tony saw the corners of his mouth twitch although he was still asleep.

Tony wanted him to stay asleep as long as possible, the mere idea was making his cock twitch. Still he couldn’t resist caressing and kissing his back some more. What he really wanted was between Loki’s legs, so Tony finally circled his nicely exposed hole with his fingers. He thought he heard a soft grumble from Loki and Tony carefully pushed both of his fingers inside. Thanks to their amazing night Tony’s fingers slipped in easy enough and now he definitely wasn’t imagining Loki’s soft sigh. Pulling his fingers out Tony instantly slid them back inside, gently prepping a still asleep Loki for his cock. Luckily there wouldn’t be much necessary though, Loki was so perfectly relaxed. Without stopping to move his fingers Tony leaned down and nipped at one of Loki’s cheeks.

“Tony...?” A sleepy, confused sigh that sounded absolutely charming.

“Morning…” Tony kissed the small of his back, angling his fingers slightly differently and Loki shivered in response. “Oh…”

With a smile on his lips Tony continued for another moment while Loki gazed over his shoulder with his eyes still half closed. Tony brushed his lips over Loki’s who placed his head back on the pillow, moaning quietly.

Not wanting to wait for another moment Tony hastily pulled out his fingers and covered his cock with the condom and some lube. Kneeling between Loki’s spread legs Tony pushed them further apart and pressed the head of his cock against Loki’s entrance.

“Tony…”

Closing his hands around Loki’s hips Tony pulled him up and pushed inside.

“No, Tony, wait…”

With half of his cock already inside the last thing Tony wanted to do was to stop, but he immediately did. Loki was again looking over his shoulder, his eyes now wide awake. “I… I’ve never done it… this way…”

Tony’s breath hitched and he couldn’t describe the sensation coming over him. Not being careful enough when…

“I…”

“It’s okay…” Tony smiled reassuringly at him and slowly pulled out. Putting his hands on Loki’s sides Tony gently turned him onto his back. Locking eyes with Loki Tony got into position and slid his cock back inside of him.

Loki parted his lips to release a trembling a breath, his hands grabbing Tony’s shoulders, staring at him while Tony was bottoming out. When Tony began thrusting Loki moved with him and his eyes never left Tony’s face. They were green, wide, beautiful and so full of trust that Tony felt a warm, almost unknown feeling spreading inside of his chest.

 ***

“Tony!”

Startled Tony looked up and found Natasha still staring at him with a raised eyebrow. “Huh?”

Sighing softly she pointed at the files in front of him. “They won’t sign themselves. It’ll take three seconds then you can go back to daydreaming.”

Tony thought that there was a good chance that he was blushing and hastily nodded. He wanted to reach for his pen, realising he was already holding it in his hand. God, how long had he been sitting here, staring into nowhere and thinking about last night and this morning?

Quickly signing the papers Tony tried to stop his thoughts from wondering and finally handed them to Natasha. “Here… Anything else?” God, he was even sounding hoarse.

“Yeah, either you start concentrating on work or you put your feet on the table and take that nap that you really need.” Natasha winked at him before leaving the office and Tony leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. Right now he had no idea how he was supposed to get through this day. About every five seconds his mind went back to the feel of Loki’s skin against his own and these green eyes watching him.

Damn, it wasn’t like Tony hadn’t had great sex and went to work afterwards before. Had it ever distracted him this bad? It wasn’t just the sex, the look in Loki’s eyes was haunting him. Amazed, full of adoration and trust. Why would Loki trust him? He didn’t know anything about Tony and what he didn’t know definitely wasn’t trust inspiring.

Yet Loki had kept his eyes open the entire time, looking at him without any of his pretention or cockiness on display.

Rubbing one hand over his face Tony turned to the computer. Maybe typing mindless numbers would help him.

It didn’t.

Tony remembered Loki telling him that nobody had ever taken him from behind and of course not, he was 15! Tony couldn’t fight that feeling of guilt nagging on him. Just because Loki was so willing to let him do anything with him didn’t mean that Tony had the right to do anything.

Should he have apologized? Yeah, they had slept together immediately after and Loki had whispered into his ear how good it was and please, please, don’t stop. That didn’t change the fact that Tony had somewhere forgotten to actually treat him like a 15 year-old. Something Loki didn’t want anyway.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket Tony played the thought of calling Loki, but… he was probably still in school. What was he supposed to say anyway? Sorry for the booty call? Thanks for the amazing night? Sorry for trying to do something that you’re not comfortable with? Thanks for not making a big deal of the scar and for making me feel good about myself?

None of this made any sense. Tony was having a casual affair, the only difference was that the person he was sleeping with was a minor and the son of his boss. Another reason why Tony shouldn’t go back, but what was the point of that? The damage was already done and Tony doubted his own ability of staying away from something he couldn’t stop thinking about.

Green eyes staring up at him, shining brightly…

Tony started to type a message.

_Hey, you alright?_

He couldn’t think of anything else, so he just pressed the send button and put the phone away. The last thing Tony expected was an immediate answer.

_I am great. Piano lessons. Bored at work?_

Smiling lightly Tony shook his head. _How can you play piano and type on your phone?_

_Hidden talents. I’m way too good to still be taking lessons. Do you want me to play for you sometime?_

Tony hesitated and bit his lip, staring at the message. Was this a normal question Loki hadn’t given much thought? Was it supposed to be romantic? Did it mean anything or was Tony giving it too much thought? Before Tony could think of anything to respond Loki had sent another message.

_How about tomorrow night? This time I could make you some pasta ;)_

Why not just write – Do you want to go on a date and have sex? Staring at the message Tony had no idea what to do, but he knew what he wanted to do.

_I’d love that_

No reason to add a ‘but’


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Tony gets an unpleasant reminder of how young Loki is (it's not sooo unpleasant) and then he finds out a few new things :)
> 
> Have fun :)

“Could you hand me the bottle please?”

Tony resisted making a comment about where Bucky could put his stupid bottle. Instead he grabbed the water bottle handed it to Bucky who was sitting with Steve on the other couch.

“Thanks…” While Bucky was taking a sip Tony turned back to the TV, shoving a handful of crisps into his mouth. Damn, he could really think of better things to do on his Saturday night. Steve had wanted to spend a nice evening with his boyfriend and his best friend. Who was Tony to tell him no? The whole thing smelled of an ulterior motive though. Only an idiot wouldn’t have noticed until now that Tony didn't really like Bucky all that much, but Steve had this incredibly desire for harmony. Please, spend time with each other and you’ll end up liking each other. Right. Also Steve probably wanted him to see what a happy couple looked like. To convince Tony that he wanted a functioning relationship after all.

“We should watch the original or part 2… they’re so much better.”

For once Bucky was right about something and Tony agreed with him. “Yeah, why do we have to watch part 5? A part 5 is never any good.”

“That’s not true. The 5th part of Mission Impossible is really good.” Steve had to be always right…

“Don’t remind me of that movie. That guy who plays Tom Cruise’s friend looks exactly like Clint. It’s creepy…”

Bucky raised an eyebrow and Tony instantly regretted saying something that might interest him. “Who is Clint?”

“My assistant’s boyfriend.”

“Okay…” Why did he sound so stupid now? Granted, Bucky always sounded stupid, but this took the cake. Had Steve told him why Pepper and Tony weren’t together anymore? Had they tried to figure out with whom he had cheated on her? That was none of Bucky’s fucking business… No, Steve wouldn’t give these kinds of details away.

Fuck, sitting here with them made Tony weary. He felt like he had to bit his tongue every five seconds.

The soft vibrations against his leg sent little shivers down Tony’s spine. Loki did have the best timing. After making sure that Bucky and Steve’s attention was on the TV screen Tony pulled out his phone and checked out the message.

_My friends only talk about video games. I am so bored…_

Right, Loki had mentioned something about hanging out with some of friends tonight.

_Where’s the problem? Video games are great_

Tony should know better than starting to text with Loki here, but he was definitely more interesting than the 5th instalment of the Terminator franchise. There was time to shove another hand of crisps into his mouth, then there was already another message.

_If you’re playing them. Talking about them is just weird. What are you doing?_

Hating everything about his own evening? Okay, not everything. Steve was great, Bucky could just leave and fuck himself. Yeah, Tony was a responsible adult, wasn’t he?

“Okay, you have to admit that this scene is amazing!”

Tony shortly glanced at the screen and he had no idea what Steve was talking about. Cheap action, one-liners, the usual…

“What are you even talking about? It’s so lame…” Bucky sighed and Tony didn’t want to share his opinion. “Nah, it’s cool.”

“Seriously? Five minutes ago you kept on complaining how stupid the movie is…”

“I change my mind every five minutes. Nothing new.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and Tony reached again for his phone.

_Watching a stupid movie with friends. Annoying. Terminator 5. Atrocious_

Loki was quick to respond.

_So I guess it wasn’t your turn to choose a movie ;) What would you chosen? Schindler’s List?_

Tony chuckled.

_Sure, that would have been a fun night_

_Definitely more fun than talking about video games_

“So who are you dating?”

A jolt went through Tony’s body when he heard Bucky’s words. Both of them were looking at him. Great, just wonderful. “What are you talking about?”

Bucky shot him a glance that should probably tell him to not pretend that they were stupid. “You’re constantly texting and you have that stupid grin on your face when you are looking at your phone.”

“Oh, shut up. You don’t hear me commenting on your stupid face either.”

To prove Tony’s point Bucky’s mouth dropped open and he stared at Tony in a way that made him look incredibly stupid.

“Tony.” Steve hissed at him and Tony moaned in response. “What? If my stupid grin annoys you, don’t look at me.”

“Why do you get so defensive? I was just asking a question. If you don’t want us to know who you’re seeing, that’s fine.” Bucky was really trying hard to piss him off, wasn’t he?

“I am no seeing anybody and if I did – it would be none of your fucking business.”

“Tony, calm down, okay?” Steve was pleading him with his eyes and Tony decided that it wasn’t worth it. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come here in the first place. No, he had said he would make an effort for Steve. No more bitching, Loki had nothing to do with this and Tony hadn’t lied anyway. He wasn’t dating anybody and nobody needed to know that he was fucking a 15 year-old on a regular basis.

“Fine… sorry… let’s watch the movie.”

Sliding his phone back into his pocket Tony decided to text Loki again as soon as he got home. Asking him when they could meet up.

 ***

Tony was zapping through the TV channels, trying to stop himself from checking his phone to make sure that he had sent Loki the right directions. Today they were playing with the fire, more than usual. Odin held a dinner party at the penthouse tonight, so there was no way in hell they could show up there.

That was the reason why Tony was waiting here. The building was owned by Stark Industries and they used the top floors for parties and business meetings. Today Tony would use them for a different purpose. Right under Howard’s nose. Well, fuck that guy.

Loki had received a perfect description how to get here without risking to be seen by too many people and he wasn’t even late yet. Still, Tony felt nervous.

Of course there was only shit on TV and Tony couldn’t find the slightest distraction. Damn, this was embarrassing.

Tony winced when he finally got a text message – _In_ _front of the door_

Fucking finally. Switching off the TV Tony got up and made his way to the door. The second Tony had opened it Loki slid past him into the room, carelessly dropping his bag and his jacket to the floor. “Way too many stairs… hey.”

Tony stared at him, not reacting to the kiss Loki pressed on his mouth. “What are you wearing?”

Loki looked down at himself, seemingly confused by what Tony had just said. “Huh? Oh, I immediately went to my piano lessons after school and then I came here. I didn’t have time to change.”

Obviously… There was only so much that Tony could take. “You’re wearing a fucking school uniform!”

“So what?” Loki shrugged before grinning at Tony. “Is it turning you on?”

“No! It’s doing a lot of things, but it’s not turning me on! It’s making me feel like a creep!”

Of course, Loki thought that this was hilarious. “Oh please… if you were a creep you would have thought of something like this way sooner… I guess I’ll have to cure you from this phobia…”

Loki was kissing him again and no, this wasn’t going to work out. This was just wrong and Loki wasn’t going to convince him otherwise. Not with kissing him, pushing him down on the couch and… “No, no, no… Not like this. This is just wrong.”

“Relax, they’re just clothes…” Loki was already on his knees, a smirk on his lips, his fingers undoing the button of Tony’s jeans.

“They’re not clothes. Jeans are clothes. Jackets are clothes. Slacks are fucking clothes. What you’re wearing is… those aren’t clothes. That’s not working out…” That wasn’t the strongest argument when Loki was already taking out his cock. The second Loki had wrapped his lips around Tony he couldn’t give a shit about what clothes Loki was wearing anymore.

One orgasm and five minutes later Tony was still trying to catch his breath, leaning against the backrest, watching Loki who was sliding off his blazer. “I mean it though… don’t show up again wearing it… it makes me uncomfortable…”

Loki was still smiling, loosening his tie. “Fine, I still think you’re overreacting, but okay… Any chance there’s something to eat here? I’m starving.”

“I’ve brought Thai food. That’s okay with you?”

“Amazing.”

They were eating in silence until Tony couldn’t stop noticing that Loki was staring at him. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just wondering why you’re in such a bad mood… Didn’t I… Didn’t I do well?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake, he seemed genuinely concerned about that. “Believe it or not, not every problem is related to sex… You were great. I enjoyed the hell out of it.”

Tony didn’t miss the relieved expression on Loki’s face. “So what’s wrong then? What can be so bad that my incredible blowjob skills won’t make it better?”

That got a laugh out of him and Tony shrugged. “I got in an argument with my best friend, because he doesn’t realise that his boyfriend is a dick.”

Loki’s eyebrows shot up and Tony regretted the words that had left his mouth. “A dick like… making a fool out of him or a dick in ‘You just don’t like him’?”

“What? None of that… he’s just an idiot.”

“I know tons of idiots and I can give you tons of reasons why these guys are idiots. Come on, I can understand that your best friend is pissed if you don’t give him a reason why you call is boyfriend an idiot. Or maybe he doesn’t want you to call other people dicks after you’ve fucked somebody in his bed.” Loki had that smug grin on his face while sipping on his glass of water and Tony was surprised that Loki could remember who Steve was.

“That’s a very old story… I can give you a reason. His stupid face for example and his perfect hair. Fuck it, I just can’t stand him. I barely get to hang around with Steve alone anymore. He’s also there and he annoys the fuck out of me.”

“That happens when people get in a relationship. There’s always two of them. When Thor had this girlfriend… they were like joined by the hip. I didn’t really care, I was like eight and he in his early twenties, but I noticed anyway. I guess it’d be easier if your friend wasn’t gay. Then you would be able to do all the guy stuff without him.”

“Relationships are terrible…”

“You want an advice?”

“Why not? I’m desperate.”

“Tell your best friend that you think his boyfriend is a tool, but that you are going to put up with it as long as he’s happy… Because in the end that’s what you have to do anyway.” Loki shrugged dismissively and Tony was sure that he wouldn’t say that if he had ever met Bucky.

Whatever, that was something Tony didn’t want to talk to about anyway. He wanted to enjoy his time with Loki, have great sex and forget about the bullshit that was happening all around him. “Maybe I’ll try that…”

“Good decision.” Loki winked at him and Tony kissed him. All he tasted was Thai food, but still delicious. “You really should get out of these clothes.” Tony whispered the words against Loki’s lips. “I owe you…”

A very visible shudder was running down Loki’s spine and Tony felt way too good about this. He loved all the little reactions he could provoke from Loki. How he could make him so excited and lost in whatever Tony was doing to him. It was extraordinary. No matter how good rough and fast sex with Loki was, no matter how amazing it was to simply ravish him… Tony enjoyed it more and more to take things slow and to make Loki squirm and tremble before actually fucking him.

So Tony took his time, stripped that damned uniform of Loki’s body and then began worshipping it. Tony kissed, licked and bit every piece of skin that he could reach until there wasn’t a single part of Loki’s body that Tony hadn’t touched. The beautiful result was a writhing, trashing Loki who was pleading and whimpered for Tony to finally take him. When Tony thrust into him Loki was sobbing in relief and clung desperately to him. Lovely moans dripped from Loki’s lips while Tony leisurely fucked him, kissing his neck while doing so.

Afterwards Tony had no desire to move whatsoever and having Loki draped on top of him wasn’t half bad. Loki nuzzled his face against the crook of Tony’s neck and sighed happily. “If that didn’t lift your spirits… nothing will…”

Tony laughed in response, pressing a kiss into Loki’s hair. “Nah, right now… I’m feeling pretty good. What about you?”

“I feel fucked… in a very good way.” Loki playfully licked over his neck before placing his head on Tony’s shoulder.

This was ridiculously comfortable and nice. Why not fall asleep like this? Tony was indeed slipping away, quite contently so until Loki felt the need for pillow talk. “You know… I was at the company yesterday and I got to check out the lab with Doctor Banner.”

“Hmm…”

“I like him, he has a lot of brains and you can actually talk to him.”

“Hmm…”

“So what are the two of you doing about holograms?”

Tony’s eyes snapped open. “What?”

“He had some notes lying around about holographic technology and some of the notes were in your handwriting.”

“Who are you? Are you doing some industrial espionage? Seriously, what the hell?”

“What? I am attentive and I know your handwriting. It’s very ugly. Come on, I’m curious. Your job has nothing to do with the lab…” Loki let his fingers run down Tony’s side and this time it was Tony who shivered. Would that kid ever stop to astound him? Probably not. Was there any chance that Borrson had told his 15 year-old son to spy on Tony and maybe to also sleep with him, so Tony wouldn’t suspect anything?

Yep, Tony was definitely losing his mind.

“You are interested in holograms?”

“I am interested in what you actually want to do… Not that stupid job behind the computer. It’s what you want to do? Holograms?” Loki moved his head to look at him and his eyes were wide and curious.

Sighing softly Tony slid his hand into Loki’s hair to play with it. “Holograms… yeah… I’ve always wanted to design a system that would be… almost entirely without hardware. Imagine not working on a computer, but… more or less inside of it. No limits in size or shape. 360 degrees. Not looking at a flat picture, but being inside of it. It’s hard to explain, I make it sound like a video game… It would be only step number one anyway. What I really want is to design my own AI.”

“I knew you wanted to create the Terminator… or was it Skynet?”

“World domination is step number 3. No, I want to create a system you can actually interact with. React to what you say and actually remember it. It would be able to come up with its own ideas and…”

“Stop, that already sounds scary enough. In an apocalyptic way. Your damn fucking computer would be so fucking smart, it would probably wipe out humanity in his first week. Or maybe it would keep us as pets.”

Honestly amused Tony shook his head. “Actually that’s what a lot of very smart people are afraid of… but my AI would be nice. A complete gentleman. A bit snarky perhaps. Most definitely British.”

Propping himself up on his elbow Loki smiled down at him. Tony wanted to tell him that he was pretty, but that wouldn’t end well. “What?”

“You should do that…”

“Huh?”

“You should work on that. This is the first time that I heard you talking about something with… passion. You should see your face. Your eyes were lightening up. That’s the thing you want to do. Not some silly dream, because you actually can do it. Working on that would make you happy and let’s be honest… sooner or later that fucking job at Borrson Corp is going to suck the life out of you. You can’t keep doing something that you hate doing… just because your dad wants to see you in one place and you really are in another…” Softly Loki let his fingers run down Tony’s neck and everything he said sounded so right. Every word seemed to make perfect sense and for a moment Tony believed him. Believed that he should do that, because Howard wouldn’t let him go and of course he put a lot of stones in his way to stop him from what he wanted to do, but Tony wasn’t doing what he wanted anyway. Loki gave him a soft smile and he caressed Tony’s collar bone, then his hand slid lower and his fingertips brushed over Tony’s scar.

The soft tingle disappeared and Tony grabbed Loki’s hand, he couldn’t quite make it to push it away, so he entwined their fingers. “It’s not easy…”

“I can’t wait to see your face when I’m 18 and show you how fucking easy it is…” Leaning down Loki kissed him sweetly and Tony swallowed his bitter comment.

“What are you going to do then? I mean… what do you want to do? What college do you want to go to?” Tony had serious trouble to figure out what career Loki would choose. He was smart, from what he knew he had various talents. Not just the ones Tony got to enjoy…

“I don’t want to tell you. You’ll laugh or say something stupid.”

“I won’t. Come on, give me a chance. I told you, didn’t I?” Tony nudged him gently and Loki pulled a face. “Fine… I wanna get into politics.”

“You are shitting me.”

“There! You said something stupid!” Loki made an attempt to get up, so Tony quickly slid both arms around his waist and pulled him in a messy kiss. “No, I was just surprised. Tell me.”

Slowly Loki let out a sigh and relaxed against Tony. “Okay… everything in our fucking lives is influenced by politics. Only idiots aren’t aware of that and… I think it’s fascinating. I don’t say I want to be an actual politician, I think I would be disaster, because in my first TV interview I would tell everybody else to go fuck themselves, but… I don’t know. Maybe I would like to work in journalism and write about politics. Or work as a consultant, I don’t know yet. But yeah, something in that field…”

Tony took in his words and couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “I can see that… and I do think that’s also just an excuse for you to seek out world domination…”

Laughing softly Loki nuzzled his face against Tony’s neck. “Well… let’s see who gets there first… How about we hit the showers now? All this talk about world domination makes me feel dirty.”

 ***

Steve hadn’t responded to Tony’s message yet, which meant that he was still pissed. Well, Tony would probably indeed follow Loki’s advice and try to make amends. First thing to do after work. Right now Tony had other things to do, stupid stuff like bringing Thor some stupid files. Actually, that was Natasha’s job, but Tony just wanted to get out of his office for a few minutes. On his way back he could maybe stop by the lab… Why not?

Thor was on the phone when Tony walked in and gave him a little sign to wait for a second. Fine, Tony could do that. Instead of listening to whatever boring stuff Thor said on the phone Tony let his eyes run over the big pile of books on his desk.

No way that these were Thor’s… Tony didn’t see him as very bookish person and Loki had told him so. Curiously Tony checked out the title of the book on top of the pile.

Descartes? No, definitely not Thor’s…

“Sorry, Tony… that was an important customer.” Hanging up Thor smiled at him and Tony didn’t see any resemblance to Loki.

“No worries. I just wanted to bring you these files.” Handing them over Tony nodded towards the table. “You’re in for some reading during the lunch break?”

Thor let out a laugh and shook his head. “No… these are for my brother. His birthday is next week and I had them delivered to the office. I get him book every year, it’s not very creative, but about the only thing he enjoys.” Shrugging lightly Thor smiled and Tony thought he was having a panic attack. Not a real one, of course. The funny kind of panic attack when you realised that you had only five minutes left to get ready for work, because your stupid alarm hadn’t gone off.

“It’s your brother’s birthday next week?”

Why did it feel weird that he didn’t know that? Loki’s age was the number one thing they talked about.

“Yeah, it’s the first one in about… five years that he’ll spend with his family. I am probably more excited about that he is…”

“Cool… uhm… I gotta head back to my office, so… have a nice day.”

Not really waiting for an answer Tony turned back around and left. He needed to go shopping. Books? Sure, but Tony needed to come up something better. Should he just ask Loki what he wanted or… No, he loved the expression on Loki’s face whenever he surprised him. Granted, that always happened during sex, but… hey, Tony could make an exception.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there,
> 
> This chapter is a little bit of everything. Drama, romance, angst... and some realisations? :D
> 
> Have fun :)

“You want to do what?”

Loki had his ways to drive Tony crazy, this was one of them and Tony definitely didn’t enjoy it. He was already tempted to end this phone call right away. There couldn’t come anything good from that.

Loki also already sounded annoyed. This was going to be fantastic. “Go out and eat at a restaurant? What’s so outrageous about that?”

Really? Was he actually asking this question? Had he done something to piss Loki off, because usually he was smarter than that? “I am not going out with you, forget about that immediately.”

A loud groan at the other end of the line. “I don’t want to repeat myself, but why not?”

“Loki, don’t play dumb, okay? I don’t want to be seen with you in public.”

That sounded a bit harsh, but it was the truth and Loki responded with a laugh. “Are you afraid someone might think that you’re my dad?”

Great, how should Tony ever have sex with him again after having heard that phrase coming out of his mouth?

“No, I am not old enough for people to think that. I am too young to be your dad and too old to hang out with you. Guess what people might think?”

Gone was the laughter, back was the annoyance. “Since we’re both guys, they won’t think anything of it. I want to go out and eat. I’m fed up with take-out.”

Granted, Tony could see where he was coming from, but at the end of the day Loki wasn’t going to be the one who would end up in jail if somebody got the wrong idea. Or the right one. “I said no.”

There was a pause and Tony knew that couldn’t mean anything good. Loki was coming up with an idea to punish Tony for this. By now Tony knew better than to underestimate him.

“Tony, you know what happens when I get pissed off. I’ll start acting like a rebellious teenager and do something that you will be way more uncomfortable with than eating at a restaurant.”

Well fuck. “I don’t even want to know.”

“I’ll walk right into your office, say hi to Natasha and then I’m going to blow you under your fucking desk. If you want it or not and I am not going to lock the door.”

The worst thing about this was that Tony was perfectly sure that Loki was being serious. Even more so, Loki would come to his office to give him hell everyday if Tony didn’t give in. “Where to do you want to go eat?”

Loki still had half a brain, so he wanted to check out a restaurant that wasn’t anywhere close to Stark Industries or Borrson Corp. It wasn’t fancy, rather a place that college students would seek out, so it was very unlikely to meet someone they knew.

“So that’s what you blackmailed me over? Lukewarm pasta and a fucking hard chair?”

“No, I blackmailed you over a change of scenery. Don’t complain about the pasta, we were eating cold Thai food last week.” Loki shrugged and took a sip from his lemonade. Tony was indeed having dinner with a teenager. “You liked the cold Thai food.”

“Yeah, so? Stop whining, nobody is paying any attention to us and we can leave as soon as I’m finished. You’re no fun anyway.”

Great, now Tony was feeling bad. Was that really necessary? “Sorry… I’m… this is the school uniform all over again…”

For some reason that made Loki grin and Tony released a breath in relief. “Any reason why you are so stressed out and pushy?”

Tony had already a good idea why, but he wanted to hear it from Loki. In response the kid shrugged and poked his food with his fork. “Big family dinner tomorrow. Everybody is supposed to smile and act nicely. Living nightmare, I dread this, I want to throw up thinking about it.”

Not a lie, that was very audible. “Some special event?”

“Nah… Odin just thinks he needs to make everybody miserable.” Loki shrugged again and shoved a fork loaded with noodles into his mouth. It wasn’t a sting, not really, but Tony felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this. It was his birthday tomorrow. He was turning 16. Why wouldn’t he say that? They were going to have dinner, because it was his fucking birthday. That wasn’t some piece of secret information, so why didn’t he just say it? No, he had lied about it. Just some family dinner? This was the perfect moment for Tony to shut up, but he couldn’t help himself, he needed to push it. “No way you can stay away if you don’t want to go?”

That was enough to kill the rest of Loki’s appetite. Grumbling he pushed his plate away. “No, my presence is required, I’ve already received a note from the big boss… Can we get outta here? I wanna fuck.”

“Wow, don’t use all your charm on me at once.” Tony did his best to swallow his chuckle and gave the waitress a little sign. Granted, he was eager to get out of here. He still didn’t want to be seen in public with Loki and he couldn’t stop thinking about ravishing him every time Loki brushed a strand of hair behind his ear. Bad combination.

“Don’t complain. It works, doesn’t it?” Loki smirked for a moment, but his face was perfectly straight as soon as the waitress showed up.

Their way to Tony’s car was almost disturbingly quiet and Loki still wouldn’t say anything when they were driving, Tony felt the need to speak up. “If you don’t want to do it, why don’t you stay away? You’re surprisingly good at that.”

“No, that won’t work out tomorrow. I gotta show up, Odin made that very clear. Well, I’ll make sure to put my feet on the table… Should I get a piercing? That would probably give him a heart attack…”

“Sure, you could do that… it’s a major turn-off for me. Just so you know.”

“I was kidding. A tattoo would be better anyway…” Loki shot him a grin and Tony shrugged. “I don’t think so you. If you want one, you can get one anytime, but don’t do that to piss off Odin. In twenty years you’ll look at it and it’ll remind you of your dad and that’s all.” Tony glanced at Loki who pulled a face. “You know what, Mr. Stark? I hate it when you’re right.”

“How bad for you… because I am right most of the time.”

Loki rolled his eyes and laughed at the same time. They fell silent again until Tony concentrated on the traffic until he almost jumped out of his skin because of the hand which was suddenly on his thigh. “Don’t.”

“Relax, I’m not going to do anything that makes you drive us against a tree.” Loki was whispering and Tony felt a shiver running down his spine. Just because of the sound of his voice.

“I definitely hope so…”

By the time Tony parked the car in the underground garage he was sure that Loki would at least want to make out in the car, but to his surprise and disappointment Loki got out the second Tony turned off the engine. Even in the private elevator he kept his hands off Tony which was almost unsettling and Tony didn’t like it, because it gave him time to think.

Three chances and Loki hadn’t told him about his birthday. Also he seemed more bothered about that stupid dinner than Tony would have expected. What did he care anyway? Loki’s family issues were none of Tony’s business and Loki had probably realised that. So why even mention his birthday to Tony? It didn’t change the fact that Loki was still illegal.

Stepping into the penthouse Loki pulled off his jacket and dropped it to the floor, as always. Tony watched him for a moment, deciding that he didn’t like Loki in a bad mood. Him being angry was something different. When his eyes were flashing and he was radiating with anger Loki was incredibly beautiful and engaging. That wasn’t the case now.

“Why is it upsetting you so much?”

Turning around Loki raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

Tony was unable to let it go. “I heard you bitching around. A lot. And you looked at me like you wanted to cut me into pieces… today you’re just… tired. No energy and it’s kind of weird.”

“You’re still pissed that I made you eat outside.”

“Uhm, yeah, but that isn’t…”

Trailing off Tony watched Loki coming closer until he was right in front of him, putting his hands on Tony’s hips. “I know something that might cheer you up… and me too.”

It was the cheapest attempt possible to distract him, but they were here to have sex and not to have small talk, so Tony didn’t put up a fight when Loki leaned up and kissed him. Finally they ended up in the bedroom and Tony found that Loki’s bad mood was way easier to handle when Tony was fucking him into the mattress. Unfortunately nature didn’t allow him to do that forever and during the immediate aftermath it was again so painfully obvious that something was wrong.

Loki was smoking. He hadn’t been doing that since that night on the balcony. Or at least he hadn’t been doing it in Tony’s presence and he hadn’t tasted like smoke either.

“Jesus Christ, will you stop that? It’s disgusting.”

Unimpressed Loki used a glass on the nightstand as an ashtray. “Oh please, as if you aren’t smoking a cigar every second weekend.”

“Yeah, ten years ago maybe. Stop it, it’s expensive and you get free cancer.” God, Tony sounded so fucking old.

There, Loki merely rolled his eyes, taking a long dragged from the cigarette just to piss Tony off.

“Fine, do whatever you want. Just so you know – I will not kiss you if you taste like smoke.”

Loki shrugged, but Tony didn’t miss him stubbing the cigarette out about 15 seconds later. Sometimes it was so surprisingly easy. Sighing Loki stretched out next to him, his hand came to rest on Tony’s chest and for a moment there was silence and it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Tony rubbed his thumb over Loki’s wrist, trying to relax.

“I was thinking…”

Turning his head Tony looked at him and Loki had this look on his face. When he was going to say something that a 15 year-old should never say. “What?”

“Would you like to come inside of me?”

A very hot and dark place in hell was reserved for Tony for even having this conversation with Loki. Any kind of answer would most probably cost him his soul. “Why do I have the feeling that you’ve been trying the whole day to distract me from something by talking about sex? Or having sex?”

The expression on Loki’s face was hilarious. Caught between amusement and frustration. Eventually he settled for a smirk. “Maybe because I don’t like you questioning me… but no, I am not trying distract you. I’ve been actually thinking about this and I want you to fuck me without a condom.”

If Tony had any idea how he was doing this… Figuring out all of his fantasies and wanting to realise them. By now Tony had no right anymore to play the responsible adult, he was sleeping with a minor after all and he was loving every second of it. Still, he couldn’t agree to everything Loki wanted to do, because he felt like he needed to do it to meet Tony’s expectations. “Don’t you have sex education at your school? There is no way that I fuck you without a condom.”

Instead of snarling or scowling Loki shifted around, leaning his head against Tony’s shoulder. “I don’t see why this is a big deal. There was only one guy before you and I’m not screwing around…”

Something he wondered about, but Tony had never dared to actually ask. It had been hard to tell, because Loki was always so eager, so willing… God, he had practically begged Tony to give him a blowjob. One that had been amazingly good despite lacking experience.

Only one guy?

It was a relief and a disappointment at the same time. Was disappointment the right word? It reminded Tony of the responsibility he had and which he definitely didn’t want.

“If you aren’t clean…”

“Oh fuck, of course I’m fucking clean…” Tony sighed and Loki seemed way too content. “So… where is the problem? Or are you screwing… somebody else?”

Those eyes were going to be his undoing. Loki wasn’t holding anything back and there was no trace left of his tough and rough edges. Bare vulnerability and so much trust. Tony had to be blind to not realise that Loki was scared of what his answer might be like. No, Tony wasn’t sleeping with anybody else. He was having an affair with a minor, the son of his boss. That was quite enough for Tony.

Maybe too much. Way too much when he had this green eyes looking at him. Ready to be crushed. It slowly dawned to Tony that he could crush Loki. One word would be enough.

“No, I’m not sleeping with anybody else, but that’s… Listen, you don’t have to make yourself interesting by… suggesting the kinkiest stuff you can think of…”

“What? Oh please, I’m not trying to make myself interesting. It’s something I want to try, because I want to know what it feels like. If I may like it. How is sex without a condom the kinkiest thing ever?” Loki quirked an eyebrow at him and Tony had to admit that he had chosen his words badly.

There was nothing kinky about it and the mere idea gave Tony chills. Unfortunately he was pretty sure that Loki didn’t suggest it, because he thought that sex without a condom would feel better. For him that was some form of commitment.

In his fantasy unprotected sex was as close to being a couple as it could get. His teenage nativity was almost endearingly sweet.

“Darling… you better save that for the third guy coming around…”

 ***

The ringing doorbell pulled Tony from his dreamless sleep and he jerked awake. What was going on?

Rhett Butler was still trying to make Scarlett O’Hara fall for him. What the hell? Rubbing one hand over his face Tony realised that he must have fallen asleep in front of the TV. Couldn’t be that long, this never ending movie was still on. Sitting up Tony looked down at himself and let out a disgusted grunt. He was filthy. His sweat shirt was covered with crumbs and there was a weird stain on his pants. Most probably chocolate.

Watching Gone with the Wind and eating crisps and chocolate. Tony was such a girl. Well, he fell asleep. Time to have a shower and to go to sleep.

Another ring at the doorbell?

Right, that had woken him up in the first place. Tony got lazily up to his feet and half-heartedly brushed off his shirt. Ah, fuck it, whoever showed up Thursday evening couldn’t expect the most proper version of Tony. Yawning softly Tony made his way towards the door, opening it while still blinking the sleep away.

“Hey… what…”

There was Loki standing in front of him. In front of the door to Tony’s apartment. The place where Tony didn’t want him, he had told Loki that numerous times. Something that Loki evidently didn’t care about. The state he was in could only be described as shocking. Loki looked always collected, sometimes even dolled-up, but he had always that strong, charming charisma around him.

None of that was to be seen right now. He was clearly distraught, shaking and Loki’s gorgeous eyes were bloodshot from crying. There were no tears, but Tony could tell.

“I wanted…”

Not thinking about it Tony grabbed Loki’s wrist and pulled him into the flat. “What are you doing here? What happened? You look…”

Tony had no chance to find out what was going on, because the second the door fell shut a trembling mouth was on his and frantic hands were tugging on his pants. So unfocused that they weren’t really accomplishing anything. “Just fuck me, please…” A barely comprehensible mumble against Tony’s lips

It was necessary for Tony to push him away to be actually able to say something. “What the hell? What’s going on?!”

Loki looked up at him and Tony thought that he could see dried up tears on his cheeks. What had happened to him?

“Please… I need you…” Loki leaned in to kiss him again, his fingers feverishly trying to tug down Tony’s pants.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Grabbing Loki’s shoulders Tony held him at distance. “Calm down! Okay, you are… Are you okay?”

Finally not making an attempt to take Tony’s clothes of Loki stared at him and he looked so besides himself. Shaken up, trembling with something that could be fear, rage or shock. Maybe all of it. Tony’s question was ridiculous. No, Loki was not okay, he was everything but.

Before Tony could even think of what he was supposed to do, how he could help, he was already pulling Loki against his chest, hugging him gently. Instantly he could feel Loki’s body stiffening, as if he didn’t know what to expect from being so close to Tony when the gesture wasn’t sexual.

“It’s okay…” Tony whispered slowly, hoping it would help Loki to calm down a bit. A moment passed and Tony could feel him shaking, trying to hold back. “Loki… what happened? Why are you here? It’s your birthday…”

The last word made Loki fist his hands in Tony’s shirt, there was a sob and Tony felt a sting in his chest. Also the urge to hurt somebody, to hurt them badly. Whoever was responsible for making this strong, tough and gorgeous young man cry into his chest. As if Tony didn’t already know who he had to seek out because of this…

So they were standing there. In Tony’s apartment, Tony holding him close while Loki was sobbing softly. It was a fit, it wasn’t loud and yet it made Tony want to take care of him. More than he already was.

Eventually Loki’s sobs subsided and he was merely leaning against Tony who was steadily stroking his back.

“How’d you know?”

The words were muffled by Tony’s shirt and hard to make out. “What do you mean?”

“How did you know that today is my birthday?”

“Thor mentioned it…”

The soft whisper turned into a snarl. “Of course…” When Loki moved to get out of Tony’s arms, he let him, but it felt strange. “Idiot…”

Ignoring that Tony gently grabbed Loki’s wrist. “Come on, sit down… I’ll fetch you a glass of water.”

“I want a gin tonic.”

Tony was about to refuse, but then he glanced at Loki’s bloodshot eyes and nodded. “Okay… why the hell not.”

No, Loki didn’t sat down, but he gladly took the gin tonic had Tony handed him and downed half of it instantly. It wasn’t necessary to ask another question, Tony could see that the rage was boiling inside of Loki and it was about to break…

“They are a bunch of assholes… all of them… They didn’t say a fucking word! Except for ‘Calm down, Loki!’ or ‘You don’t mean that, Loki!’. Fuck them!” He was shaking again, but completely different than before.

Tony had seen him angry so many times and in his mind the anger made Loki even more appealing. This wasn’t the case now. Loki wasn’t just angry. He was hurt and trying not to show it. “Who?”

“My fucking family!” The yell was bouncing of the walls and Loki’s fingers were wrapped so tightly around the glass, Tony was afraid it would break. “After years of sending me postcards on my birthday, they want me to sit down with them and play happy family?! And when I don’t want to do that, because I give a shit about that hypocrisy… then I get yelled at! Why?! It’s not like they fucking care!”

It was everything Tony didn’t want. Loki showing up at his place, opening up about all these things that Tony shouldn’t know. That didn’t stop Loki from continuing.

“Odin gets mad, because I don’t want to sit down and play happy family. So I get criticised, because I’m not at home all the time and that I should be… Should be what? A nice little puppet like Thor? He tells me that I should be able to act fucking decent… at least at my birthday! My birthday, can you fucking believe that? I ask him if they even know if today’s my actual birthday, because… hey, those things aren’t always that clear when you adopt a kid!”

Biting his lips Tony didn’t say anything. Loki needed this, to yell and to let it all out. To feel like somebody could understand and Tony did.

“You know what he said to me? That I am his flesh and blood, but I make him wish that I was adopted, because I am such a disappointment…” Loki’s hand were clenched into fists, they were shaking and not matter how much spite he was putting into these words, how desperately he wanted to show Tony that he was seething with anger. Yet all Tony could see was a hurt kid. At the end of the day it didn’t matter if Loki loathed his father or not, he could treat him like shit, Loki would still be yearning for his approval. That was something he couldn’t help.

“Disappointment… Me! My grades are impeccable, I succeed at every little thing I do, but I am a disappointment, because I am not always home when they tell me to?! Because I don’t want to talk with Thor about girls?! Fuck that shit! I am not… I am brilliant! I am…”

Tony could see him falling apart and he couldn’t stand to see this. “Hey, hey…” Just as helpless as Loki Tony put his hand on Loki’s arm and gently stroked his thumb across his skin. “That’s bullshit and you know it. You are amazing… Nobody is disappointed in you. You are gorgeous, wicked smart and you don’t bend and you don’t break. Now that’s driving him crazy, because he has his own stupid ideas about how you should be like… but when he finally considers you an adult... He’ll think it’s the greatest thing in the world that you don’t give in...”

“I don’t give a shit about what he thinks!” Loki was screaming, trying to get his arm free, but Tony tightened his grip. “It’s okay! You can hate him and want his approval at the same time. I know it sucks and you don’t want to want it, but… sometimes that’s not how it works. You don’t need him, you don’t need anything from him, but… unfortunately you don’t always feel like that.”

Loki was staring at him, his expression wild, his cheeks still wet with tears. “I… we were yelling and… I said a couple of things that he definitely didn’t want to hear… then he said that… maybe he should put me in another boarding school where they would teach me some respect and I told him to go fuck himself.”

A smile spread on Tony’s face although he felt suddenly sick. Loki gone would solve a lot of his problems. Problems he didn’t want to be solved. “Yeah… that’s an appropriate reaction.”

“I am not going to let him send me away…  I am so done with this. If he tries… I am going to go back to London… or wherever… I won’t let him send me off…”

There was nothing Tony could respond, he was running out of words. So instead he wrapped his arms around Loki who again nuzzled his face against Tony’s chest. It was a bit awkward since Loki still had that glass in his hand, but what the hell. Tony held him close, trying not to think about the fact that Loki came to him after such a moment.

It was the only thing he was thinking about.

Eventually he got Loki to sit down on the couch, still holding him. Rhett and Scarlett were bickering on screen. Softly Tony let his fingers run through Loki’s hair, kissing his temple. A soft laugh escaped Loki’s lips and it didn’t sound happy, nor sad.

“What?”

“I just realised… you are the most normal thing in my life… that’s pathetic.”

Unable to hold back a chuckle Tony nodded. “Yeah… that’s pretty fucked up.”

With the glass placed on the couch table Loki slid his arms around Tony’s waist and this was nice.

“Since we’re already talking about fucked up things… Happy birthday.” Tony mumbled the words into Loki’s hair. Loki made an appreciating sound in response. “You are watching Gone with the Wind?”

“What I do in my own living room when I’m not expecting visitors is nobody’s business…” Tony smiled and then raised an eyebrow. “Wait a second… how do you know it’s Gone with the Wind?”

“I know my film classics… I didn’t think it’d be your kind of movie…”

“What do you want me to say? I have very good taste… just look at yourself…” The last part more or less slipped out and Loki raised his head. Those eyes were going to be the end of him. Still hurt, wide open, beautiful and so… full of adoration. About time to stop denying?

“Maybe today is my birthday… maybe it’s not… but I’d really like to be a year older…” It was so raw and honest and still Tony knew that Loki didn’t give a damn about their age difference. He just didn’t want Tony to get in trouble because of it.

What did that say about Tony’s life that this was maybe the sweetest thing somebody had said to him?

Loki tilted his head up, his lips tentatively brushing over Tony’s who instantly locked them in a real kiss. It was passionate and sweet at the same time. Shifting a bit Loki pulled him closer and Tony slid his hands beneath Loki’s shirt, driven by an intense desire to touch him, to make him feel good…

Sighing softly into the kiss Loki opened up, his own hands tracing the edge of Tony’s shirt. A slight shudder was running down his spine when Loki’s fingers slid over his stomach and Tony pushed his body against Loki’s, trying to feel all of him at once. Then there was Loki’s mouth on his neck and Tony swore that every part of him that Loki touched started to tingle. Pushing Loki’s shirt up Tony trailed little kisses on Loki’s stomach.

“Tony…” His name rolled off Loki’s tongue in such a perfect way, Tony wanted to hear it again and again.

“You are so gorgeous…” Tony punctuated his words with more kisses, his fingers slowly unzipping Loki’s pants. Hands were grabbing his shoulders, pulling him back up and Loki was kissing him. Giving into him Tony let Loki pull off his shirt and enjoyed those hands exploring his chest. Not wanting to let go of Loki’s lips Tony kept on kissing him and Loki was so pliant beneath him, soft and perfect. Finally Loki pushed him a bit away, stripping off his own t-shirt.

Tony marvelled at him and then those eyes caught him again and no, he wouldn’t do this on his couch between empty bags of crisps. Kissing him Tony took Loki’s hand and pulled him up. “Come on, babe…”

On the way to Tony’s bedroom Loki’s eyes didn’t leave his face for a single second and when Tony pushed him down on the bed they were kissing again and Tony was completely lost.

Loki mumbled something against his neck and Tony pretended that he didn’t hear him. Between gentle kisses and touches they got rid of the rest of their clothes and Loki nipped on his lower lip, his fingers tracing Tony’s spine. “Can you…” Pressing a kiss on Tony’s ear Loki nuzzled his nose against his cheek. “Can you please…”

Tony had several ideas what he might want and Tony wanted to do so many things, most of all he wanted to make this good. To wipe all the traces of this bad day away, making Loki forget that he wasn’t anything but beautiful, charming and amazing.

Burying his face in Tony’s shoulder Loki moaned softly when Tony pushed a finger into him. Tony used his other hand to push his chin up and kissed him. Looking back Tony didn’t think that he had ever been this careful with him. While reaching for the lube Tony hesitated for a second before ignoring the condoms. Suddenly it didn’t seem like such a stupid idea anymore. The preparation lasted longer than usual, Tony took his time to kiss Loki and savoured the feeling of his fingers digging into his shoulders.

“Tony…”

There it was again and Tony was feeling dizzy. Loki stared into his eyes when Tony pushed into him and maybe they were both lost. Arms and legs were closing around him and Loki was tight and hot and perfect. Overwhelming. They were so close with nothing between them. Tony could feel him all over him and those green eyes were bright, shining and wouldn’t let him go.

“Please, Tony…”

Why should he ask? Loki could have everything from him, he didn’t need to ask.

When Tony started to move Loki’s eyelids flickered and he moaned against Tony’s lips. They were kissing, Loki lifted his hips to meet Tony’s thrusts and the increased pleasure was so intense that Tony could feel his toes curl. Loki’s insides were gripping him perfectly, squeezing him just right and Tony felt all of him.

It was too much, being inside of him without any barrier, having Loki look at him. Passionate, lustful and caring. Still Tony refused to speed up his thrusts, instead he shifted, trying to find the most pleasurable angle for Loki. Fingers were restlessly running down Tony’s back, then he suddenly broke the kiss, throwing his head back and gasping for air.

“Okay?”

“Yeah…” Loki nodded breathlessly. “Keep… oh god…”

The expression on his face was gorgeous and Tony wanted to tell him so, but he couldn’t find the words, so he concentrated on continuing exactly what he was doing. Loki’s hands slid down lower, resting on Tony’s ass, trying to push him deeper inside and Tony was seeing stars.

A familiar tingle told him that he was going to last much longer and Tony definitely wouldn’t be the first one to come. Wrapping his hand around Loki’s cock Tony stroked him in time with his thrusts. Loki arched into his touch, whispering Tony’s name between little gasps and moans.

“You’re so beautiful…” Tony wanted to kiss him, but didn’t. Instead he looked into Loki’s eyes, trying to memorize every single detail. Loki moaned softly when he came and he was perfect. Everything about him.

Unable to hold back any longer Tony let go and he was coming inside of Loki. The pleasure was almost tearing him apart and for a moment Tony felt the need to possess him, to make him his own.

Then he looked into Loki’s eyes and maybe… maybe he had already done that.

Although Tony was still catching his breath he was leaning down to kiss Loki who lazily kissed him back. It had never been this good, this intense and that meant Tony should worry about being in trouble, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Not when he felt like walking on air.

Brushing his mouth over Loki’s throat Tony propped himself up on his elbows and moved to pull out, but Loki instantly tightened his legs around him. “No… please, just a bit… I want to feel you like this…”

Tony felt something fluttering in his chest and then Loki was kissing him. “Okay…”

Loki smiled and brushed his fingers over Tony’s cheek. “That was amazing… it felt so good…”

“I know… stay the night please…” It was a mistake, stupid, irresponsible and Tony wanted it desperately. The answer was another kiss and they both knew that Loki wouldn’t have left anyway.

After countless other touches and kisses Loki was finally willing to let go of him and Tony felt almost drunk on him. How he looked… lying there in Tony’s bed. With tousled hair, bright eyes and that utterly satisfied expression on his face.

“I don’t think I have actual cake here, but how about some chocolate?”

“I thought you didn’t like sweet stuff.”

“Only when I’m watching old movies… or when birthdays need to be celebrated…” Pressing another kiss to Loki’s lips Tony sat up slid on his underwear. “Don’t move, I’ll be back in a second…”

“Okay…”

Humming one of his favourite songs Tony rushed into the living room, picking up the untouched chocolate bars from the couch. Rhett and Scarlett were once again or still arguing. Quite loudly, Tony almost didn’t hear the main door being pushed shut.

“Tony?” Steve looked at him and there wasn’t enough time to come up with any excuse. Not when Loki had decided that chocolate wasn’t good enough. It could have been worse right? Steve could have caught them on the couch or in the bedroom. Loki wearing shorts and Tony’s ridiculously big AC/DC t-shirt was only the second worst case scenario.

“Do you have… Oh…”

Steve’s eyes darted from Loki back to Tony and he didn’t need to open his mouth to ask Tony if he had lost his mind. The look on his face made that very clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What's Steve going to say? :(


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> So we've already established that Steve has terrible timing and now we need to find out how Tony is dealing with this :)
> 
> Have fun

It wasn’t Steve who spoke up, but Loki. “Who is this?”

The shock about Steve’s presence didn’t fade away, but was suddenly overshadowed by another realisation. Loki had never seen Steve before, he had no idea who he was. Just a guy who obviously had the key to Tony’s apartment. The one place were Tony didn’t want Loki to be. How was Loki supposed to not get the wrong idea?

“This… is Steve. My best friend…”

A best friend who didn’t look very amical at the moment, that was for sure and Tony dreaded whatever Steve might have to say. He couldn’t have him walk out on him. Steve had always been there, but he wouldn’t let Tony fuck up everything so badly.

Blue eyes were finally settling on Tony and he was so afraid.

“Please, tell me, this is a joke. Tony, you can’t be this stupid.” No yelling, hissing or seething. Just disappointment. The worst kind there was.

“Steve, come on, listen…”

“No, I’m done listening.” Steve was shaking his head, a beaten expression on his face, but Tony knew him well enough. The worst was still about to come. “Why should I still listen to you when you skip the most important details!? This is why you left Pepper? Fuck, how long has this been going on?! You can’t be that… Have you lost your mind?! You can’t sleep with a teenager!”

There was nothing in Tony’s head, not a word he could think of, all he could see was Steve’s glare and…

“Oh fuck, seriously? A lecture? Sorry, but you have no right to stand here and judge other people’s life choices.” If Loki had been shocked, he was already over it and was his old self. Snarling at Steve and doing it with so much snark as if they hadn’t been caught… committing a felony? Tony was feeling sick.

Steve turned to look at Loki and Tony couldn’t remember seeing him glaring at somebody this way. Especially somebody he didn’t know. “Will you please shut up? I am talking to the other grown-up person in the room…”

“Steve, what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know! What about… You haven’t been fucking this kid for months!”

Wrong thing to say…

Loki snapped and Tony saw it coming from a mile away. Yet all he could do was standing there and watch things happening.

“The kid?! Don’t talk about me as if I wasn’t here! How about you don’t talk at all? This is none of your fucking business!”

The fierceness that Loki put on display took Steve aback and blinked in confusion. What? Tony had told him about Loki’s character, hadn’t he? Had Steve expected him to be some shy little kid that would stand here and wait for them to talk it out? No, that was what Tony was doing…

“How old are you? 15? Do I really have to explain to you why you can’t be doing this?”

“What? Because of some stupid law that wants to tell me when I have the right to explore my sexuality? Sorry that I don’t give a shit about that…” Loki actually rolled his eyes and Steve laughed at him. “That is quite an easy thing to say when you’re not the one who gets thrown into prison if somebody sees you kissing! Tony! What the hell?!”

Biting his lip Tony searched for something to say. Steve wanted him to admit that all of this was a mistake and that he was sorry, that it was never going to happen again and there was Loki who Tony had just fucked without a condom. This was a nightmare.

“Steve, it’s a bit more complicated than this… Okay… can we all just stop yelling at each other? Uhm… this is Loki and yes, I’ve told you about him… and no, this has not been going on for months.” Good, he had been able to get a few words out and the vein on Steve’s forehead hasn’t burst yet. “What is there to talk about? You are sleeping with a minor! That’s…”

“Yeah? That’s what?” Loki tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at Steve who only shook his head. “Tony, he is a minor… you are supposed to be the responsible one…”

It cut as deeply into Tony’s skin as it could. He’d be able to deal with anger, even disgust, but not this kind of sadness. Steve was crushed, because Tony turned out to not be the person he thought he knew.

“Steve…”

“No, not now… I gotta…” Trailing off Steve turned around and seconds later he slammed the door shut behind him.

Gone. Just like this and it had been worse than Tony imagined. He had thought about yelling, screaming, anything but this. Having Steve disappointed in him like…

“Fuck!” The frustration suddenly took over and kicked the couch. Stupid idea, it hurt, Loki winced and Tony had done it. He had made Steve look at him the same way Howard did.

The mere thought made Tony’s skin crawl and he felt like he had to start retching. How could he be so stupid? Why did he have to fuck up everything? So Howard was right and Tony had even alienated the only person who was willing to put up with him. For what? For amazing sex with a minor? Because Tony was too fucked up to make it work with a person his age?

Sitting down on the couch Tony buried his face in his hands and why couldn’t he do something right? Just once…

An arm slid around his chest and Tony lashed out. Blindly pushing Loki away he hissed “Leave me the fuck alone!”

“No.” Again hands were reaching for him and Tony more or less fended him off. “I told you to fuck off!”

“No.” Loki tried again and Tony couldn’t keep doing this. Pulling him close Loki put his head on Tony’s shoulder and how could he enjoy this? How did… He couldn’t listen to Loki’s tirade, he couldn’t listen to him insulting Steve when it was Tony’s fault. Everything was Tony’s fault.

“He is your friend, I am sure he’ll come around… He’s just… He was shocked… he’ll calm down and then he’ll listen to you…” A warm, soothing tone that seemed so out of place and Tony couldn’t believe that it helped. Why was Loki comforting him? “You’ve told him about me… he’ll understand…”

What was Steve supposed to understand? When Tony didn’t understand anything about this himself? Steve had looked at him like…

“Tony?”

What if he didn’t come back? What if Tony had pushed away the only person who had ever really cared for him?

“Tony, I’m sorry…”

Steve had only wanted the best for him, therefore he had told Tony to not do something stupid. Of course, he had not been listening. Now Steve had walked out on him and Tony couldn’t even fault him for that…

“Tony, please… look at me… please…”

A hand reached for Tony’s cheek, softly urging him to move his head and pulled him from some kind of dream. Loki was looking at him, his expression suddenly so similar to when he had arrived here. Not quite. Those eyes offered him everything. Tenderness, pity and so much fear. Tony didn’t like it, not on Loki’s face.

“I am sorry, Tony… I should not have come here…”

All it needed was that sentence and Tony didn’t know what to do. What to think. Not when Loki was pleading him with his eyes, so ready to take the blame and so scared of whatever Tony might say.

No, Loki was scared of a very specific reaction…

The one Tony probably should have. One he couldn’t have when Loki was right here and he did care. Tony knew that, he could be perfectly sure of that. Why had Loki come here? After a fallout with his family he had come to Tony and that had been okay.

“I didn’t want to…”

“Oh, shut up…” Tony wrapped his arms around him, leaning his forehead against Loki’s shoulder. Loki seemed to be startled, then he instantly relaxed and began running his fingers through Tony’s hair. It was Tony’s t-shirt, Loki was wearing it and for some reason that almost made him smile. Not enough though. But Loki was warm, he smelled good and he was there.

“I am sorry… maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at him, but…”

“Loki, I told you to shut up, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but… I don’t want to be the reason why you are…”

Shaking his head Tony pulled him closer, trying to empty his head, to not think of anything. Loki did him a favour and remained silent, but kept petting his hair. What was he going to do? The only way to make things right with Steve was to end whatever was going on between him and Loki. Something that he should have never started in the first place. Tony was so perfectly aware of that and here he was, clinging to Loki as tightly as he could.

They stayed like this for a while, Tony had no clue for how long Loki was content with caressing his hair. Eventually Tony understood that he couldn’t stay like this forever, no matter how pleasing the thought was. Ever so slowly Tony pushed Loki away and got up. To his surprise Loki didn’t make a sound while Tony got himself a glass full of vodka from the bar.

“He is right… you know… I should be the responsible one…”

Sitting there Loki watched him closely and he looked incredibly small. “What is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to leave now?”

To avoid looking at him Tony took a large sip from his vodka. “Yeah, that’s what I should have been doing a long time ago… That would be better for me. It would definitely be better for you… God, you are a teenager…”

“How does that matter? How is not being with you better for me?”

“Because you are young and excited about this and you don’t know any better and…”

“Don’t do that… You don’t get to do that. You won’t talk yourself into thinking that you’re taking advantage of me. Have you been sleepwalking through the last couple of weeks? It’s rather the other way around… I know exactly what I’m in for…”

His conviction was making Tony sick. “Do you? So what if I decide that I’ve had enough of you? What if my best friend walking in on us was a long needed wake-up call? Don’t try to tell me that you wouldn’t be… you’re in way over your head.”

Loki scowled and Tony readied himself for being yelled at, to take all of Loki’s anger, but there was none of it. “And you aren’t? I’m getting tired of this… First you try to act like you don’t care that much about me… then you’re sweet, say the most perfect things, sleep with me without a condom and look at me like… then he shows up and you get so afraid of what everybody else says or thinks… why can’t you ignore that? If you just wanted to fuck me, you wouldn’t have… you wouldn’t have let me in, you wouldn’t have comforted me…”

“It’s possible to just want to fuck a person and stay a nice guy at the same time…”

Loki actually laughed at that. “Shit, you are… I dunno… 10 minutes ago… you were so… I want that! You want that too and why can’t you just… let that happen?”

What? Downing the rest of his glass Tony shook his head. “I am not your boyfriend! I fuck you! I am a decent guy, that’s why I don’t treat you like shit! That’s all it is! It’s…”

The words died on Tony’s lips when Loki got up from the couch and fled back into the bedroom.

Fuck… he wasn’t supposed to run away. Then why had he yelled at him like that? After Loki had looked at him like this… after Loki had come to him, because... he trusted Tony. He was such an idiot…

“Loki…” Following him into the bedroom Tony found him, feverishly dressing himself. “Shut up!”

“Loki, listen…”

“What?! You’ve made yourself perfectly clear! You like to fuck me. We fucked, I’m leaving. So you can be a perfectly responsible adult…” Loki spat while slipping into his jeans.

Tony was about to tell him to stop making a scene when he noticed those green eyes, looking everywhere but at him. They were burning. Just like when Loki had got here, maybe even worse. Loki had come to him because somebody had hurt him and now Tony had hurt him even more. The fact that he was even able to do that…

“I just…”

“Oh, shut up! I have enough of this shit! You are hot, smart, funny and so amazing… but you have even more issues than me! Just so you know… what you’re doing right now… that’s treating me like shit!”

Even when Loki tried to get past him he still wasn’t looking at him. There was no way that Tony was going to let him go now. “Wait…”

“Leave me alone!”

“I am sorry, okay! Of course I like you! But can’t you try to see things from my perspective for a second? I’m a walking disappointment for fucking everyone in my life and the only thing working out for me can’t be… my relationship with a teenager!” All of his pathetic strength was leaving him and Tony felt so grateful that Loki had stopped trying to shake him off. Tony felt tired in general of sneaking around, of going to work every day when it was pure dread, dragging him down. He was tired of Howard’s shadow hanging over him, of trying to live up to Steve’s expectations that he never said out loud and he was tired of keeping Loki out of his life.

Loki was staring at him, still burning. It was impossible to miss the anger that was still there, yet it was being pushed aside by something else entirely. Something that was way more important to Loki than being right or getting his way. “Why not? I... I get you, I fucking understand you. They don’t. Why can’t you just let me in? Am I not good enough? Why can’t we…”

“Because you are 16! Yes, you’re in love with me now, but that’s not going to last. I can’t let you in, because I’ll fuck you up and when you realise that, you’ll walk away and then I’ll be the one… I’ll have nothing but the knowledge that I drive everyone away from me.”

Tony made a step back, his mind only slowly catching up with what he had said. Now he couldn’t take it back and Loki’s face didn’t hide a single one of his emotions. The surprise and the glimmer of hope in his eyes. All Tony wanted to do was to run, because he was standing here help- and defenceless. Someone as smart as Loki wouldn’t miss their chance… not when Tony was so tired.

Arms were sliding around his waist and Loki leaned his forehead against Tony’s shoulder. “I love you…”

No, you don’t. You’ve been 16 for half a day, you don’t even know what love is yet. You’re crushing on me and I am the person who introduced you to good sex, of course you think you love me.

These words were running through Tony’s head. They were what he was supposed to say. There was no way to get them out though when he could only think about that he could have this. Somebody looking like him with that smitten look and still willing to challenge him.

It so obviously would be the right thing to do to let him go. To tell him to go back to school, find somebody his age and have a normal first love. That would be best for Loki and Tony… was selfish.

A lithe, pleasurable shiver was running down his spine when Loki tilted his head up, his lips brushing over Tony’s jaw. Slowly, but steady a hand was sliding across his shoulder blade and settled in the back of Tony’s neck. It was a firm but gentle grip, pulling him down and he could feel Loki’s breath on his face. “It’s okay…”

Loki gently pressed his lips on Tony’s and he was lost. A kiss for the mere sake of kissing, not just to prove a point. Tony let his eyes fall shut, clinging to him and Loki cared. That was all that Tony wanted.

Now it was him being helpless and he didn’t resist when Loki pushed him down on the bed, still kissing him. Draping himself partly over Tony Loki rested his head on his chest, his arm around Tony’s waist and Tony felt like crying.

“You’re going to talk to him and he’ll listen, I’m sure. You told him about me, so you trust him and… I know you don’t trust just anyone. He’ll understand… I don’t say he’s going to love it, but if he’s your friend, he is going to understand.”

Tony winced and Loki’s fingers were immediately caressing his side. “It’s quite a lot to ask of somebody…”

“No, it’s not. It’s none of anyone’s business… it’s about us. I can be the good thing, Tony. Not the one you’re constantly worrying about, but the thing that makes you smile for no reason. I can do that, but you have to let me… please.”

Not able to say anything Tony buried his face in Loki’s hair, breathing in his scent and wished that Loki could be right.

Somebody was there to hold him. In the back of the mind Tony knew it couldn’t last, because Loki had places where he had to be, that none of this could ever work out, but Loki had wrapped his arms around him and Tony felt his warmth, his weight, everything about him. When they were just lying here like this Tony could almost believe that Loki loved him. Just holding him, enjoying his touch in a complete non-sexual way and it was so easy to feel close to him…

“You need to get out of there.” Loki’s voice was soft, real concern in it and Tony didn’t understand. “It’s ruining you. You need something that makes you happy… or at least something that isn’t making you miserable every day… get away from these people…”

It was true, every word of it. Tony had known this for months, years. Also it was something that Tony couldn’t do. “I’m stuck… I can’t leave…”

Loki’s fingers were lazily drawing pattern on Tony’s stomach. “Why not? There are other places where you can do what you want. You’re old enough… tell your dad he can go fuck himself… You are brilliant, you could work everywhere…”

16… he was so obviously 16…

“There are like… three labs in the world that offer the technology that I need… One belongs to Howard… and I can’t get into the other two, because I’m Howard’s son…” Something that barely rolled off his tongue and left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Why?”

“Because some of them would immediately assume that I’m… some kind of industrial spy or… he pulls some strings to make sure they won’t let me in. He knows I’m good at what I do… what I could do… He doesn’t want me to help somebody else and he loves punishing me so much, he won’t let me use Stark technology… I have nowhere to go, so what I am supposed to do? I can only stay where I am and hope… that he’ll change his mind…”

It was making him sick, admitting it in front of Loki was maybe worse than admitting it to himself.

“He’s keeping you on leash…”

“Loki…”

“No, it’s the same thing. We’re both on a leash, but you could cut it… and you should. You need to… because at some point you won’t care anymore… then it’ll be too late.”

Was it even possible to be wrong and right at the same time? Did Loki even know what he was talking about? Could he… Tony sucked in a breath when Loki’s hand moved from his stomach to his chest. His thumb was tracing the edges of Tony’s scar before he covered it with his entire hand. “You don’t owe him. You don’t owe him anything…”

Tony’s weak attempt to bat Loki’s hand away was rewarded by Loki raising his head and pressing a kiss to his scar. Every part of Tony was itching to push him away and yet his arms only pulled Loki tighter against himself.

“You’re amazing… if they don’t know that… it’s their problem, not yours…”

 ***

Steve opened the door and Tony could tell by his eyes that he was surprised to see him. Just surprise, nothing else.

“Can we talk? Please.”

Nodding Steve took a step aside and let Tony enter the apartment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas for a oneshot? Anyone? I feel like writing something short and I have no idea what about ;D


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Let's bring this thing to a close now. I have told the episode of Tony's life that I wanted to tell and that's why I've decided to end it there. I hope you enjoyed the ride :)
> 
> Have fun :)

Steve was doing his very best, Tony could tell. He was trying so hard to not judge him and he was failing miserably. Still, it gave Tony enough hope to pick up all pieces of his courage and he thought of Loki, sleeping with his arms wrapped so tightly around Tony that it was impossible to tell who was holding whom.

“I have no idea what to say to you, Tony…”

“That’s okay, because I guess it’s up to me to do some explaining… I’m trying to make you understand this… I’m not trying to justify myself…”

In response Steve pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything, something Tony was very grateful for.

“It hasn’t been going on for months. I did a good job at avoiding him for some time… then there was Pepper and… I really tried Steve, I tried to make that work, but… mostly because I knew that was what I was supposed to do. He was still around and it happened. I know it’s fucked up, but I’m not just… I like him…”

That obviously didn’t do anything for Steve. “Tony, I don’t doubt that you like him. Sure, for some time the thrill might be enough, but you don’t risk getting into so much trouble if you don’t have… a soft spot for the kid. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s so incredibly stupid and that I want to hit you! There are so many people over 18 who you might like and who would gladly sleep with you!”

Yes, but Loki didn’t like him. He claimed that he loved Tony…

Steve paused, shook his head, and then continued. “So you cheated with him on Pepper and since then… so this has been going on for about two months? God, how can you be…”

“Please, no reproaches for a minute and let me explain. Can you do that?”

There was Steve again, his best friend. Out of a sudden he seemed to feel guilty or at least sorry. “Tony, I don’t want to make you feel bad about yourself. I don’t want to call you a creep or an idiot… I am worried about you! I am fucking scared how this thing could turn out for you! When it was only one time… perhaps you would have been able to talk your way out of it. But an affair that has lasted for over two months?”

Tony felt his heart hammering against his ribcage. “I… I don’t think that it’s still an affair…”

At least Steve didn’t look disappointed, but probably because he was in utter shock. Shifting from one foot to another Tony glanced at Steve, waiting for him to say something, because he was unable to. Finally Steve grimaced and Tony saw him swallowing. “Oh god… what are you saying there?”

“It’s not so much what I am saying… he told me that he loved me and… I think I believe him…”

Steve closed his eyes for a second, probably searching for something to say or telling himself to not beat the shit out of Tony. “Tony, the kid is 15…”

“16 actually. It was his birthday yesterday…”

“Okay… 16… do you really think that a 16 year old kid can understand what he is in for? It’s quite easy to confuse love and lust and he is 16.”

Tony couldn’t believe they were talking about this and he felt terribly uncomfortable, but it was so important to make Steve understand. Understand something Tony hadn’t even grasped yet. “You don’t know him. He is wicked smart… he doesn’t really act like a 16 year-old… only when he lashes out. He is smart… beautiful and he knows what he wants in life and because his family is completely fucked-up he had to mature early… Whatever… it’s how he looks at me, Steve. With those eyes… I had one or two girlfriends in High School and none of them looked at me like this. Nobody ever looked at me like this… and the stuff he says.” Slowly sitting down on the couch Tony cleared his throat, the mere memory of Loki’s voice made him feel warm inside. “He told me to get out of Howard’s shadow, quit the fucking job and do something that would make me happy. He completely figured me out and that’s fucking scary and at the same time… it’s nice… to have somebody who… cares.”

“I care, Tony.”

The warm feeling disappeared when he heard the pain in Steve’s voice and he quickly turned around. “I know, Steve, but not… like that. I know you love me, but not like that. That’s not a reproach. Loki is in love with me and that should scare the hell out of me… maybe it did scare the hell out of me… but the more I think about it…” Tony was at a loss for words, perhaps he just didn’t want to say it and then Steve was just staring at him. During all the years they have known each other Tony did a lot of stupid shit and Steve had never held back his reactions. Nevertheless Tony had never seen him like this, shocked and yet he had obviously no idea how to feel about it. Steve’s face was blank and Tony needed him. He needed him to help him with this.

“Oh my god…” Steve was still shaking his head. “You are in love with the kid.”

Hearing it said out loudly Tony was surprised that it didn’t make him want to run away. Or scream. “Kind of… yeah.”

This time there wasn’t a patronizing “Oh Tony” or a long sigh. No, this time Tony had the feeling that Steve was starting to take things seriously. “I hate to say this, but… are you sure? I am sorry, but you are the most intelligent person I know. You are brilliant and… he is so young. He is in a completely different place, he has a completely different mind-set. Are you sure?”

No, Tony wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure about anything when it came down to Loki. “Actually… he doesn’t. The things he talks about. I can talk to him. Okay, that wasn’t what I was interested in… in the first place, but he is smart, educated and honestly… I have more in common with him than most people I have dated. Don’t worry, I still know it’s crazy. Don’t think I don’t know that… but sometimes I look at him and the thought of somebody else touching him or him looking at somebody else like how he looks at me…”

“Wow… you are in love with him.” Steve leaned back, running one hand down his face. “I don’t know if that makes things better or worse… No, better. Definitely better. A lot more complicated but better.”

Tony felt an immense relief coming over him, because he needed Steve in this. To not go crazy, to find out what was the right thing to do. “How does it make things better?”

“Being in love is definitely better than having an affair with a minor just for sex… we’re still stuck with the fact that he is a minor and I think… I think you should get out of this as fast as you can.”

The relief was gone and Tony felt something cold crawling up his back. “What?”

“Please, you have to see this. You can end up in jail for this… what if his dad finds out about it? Such a powerful guy with so much influence… okay, Loki is in love with you, but what if… every relationship can turn sour and what if he wants to get back at you for something? He can get you in some serious trouble...”

“Loki wouldn’t do that.”

“But he could.”

That was something Tony couldn’t deny. He was at loss, stuck between a rock and hard place, but at least there was one thing that he knew now. “You don’t think I’m a piece of shit?”

“What? I would never think that. Did you think I thought that? No, god no! I know you like making stupid decisions, but I also know that you don’t go after a teenager for the sake of going after a teenager…” A small, tentative smile spread on Steve’s face and Tony supressed the urge to wrap his arms around Steve, but he held back. Nonetheless he smiled back, getting comfortable with the feeling of relief.

There was a short silence and when Steve spoke up again it didn’t sound forced. Quiet and urgent. “Tony, do you want to be with that kid?”

A question that should have shaken Tony to the core, but it didn’t. Nor did it scare him when it so obviously should have. “Kinda…”

Grumbling beneath his breath Steve gave him a little shove. “This is fucking serious! I need something more concrete than a ‘kinda’.”

“Okay! Yes! Yes and it’s scaring me!”

That was an understatement. Close to Loki Tony felt that almost primal need to possess him and sometimes he just wanted to shelter him, keep him safe from harm or from his fucking family. Then again, sometimes he wanted Loki to keep him safe. The thought of Loki disappearing was unbearable.

“Rightly so…” Steve shifted around, huffing softly. “Any chance you can wait… another two years?”

“Very funny.”

“What do you think that would be like? Sneaking around is only fun for so long. You can’t… go out with him. You can’t be seen with him…”

“I know!” Tony cut him off, shouting out his frustration. “I know but… if you could… if you… you don’t have to approve, but if you could accept…”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “That you are in a relationship with a minor?”

It was harsh although Steve didn’t intent it to be and Tony nodded slowly. There was no way to deny that he needed Steve in this. Without him he couldn’t do it.

“I just want you to be happy and… to not get into trouble. I’d… I’d like to talk to him.”

Now that was something Tony hadn’t expected. Not in the least. “Why?”

“To figure out if it’s going to cause you trouble.” Steve met Tony’s eyes and there was no doubt that he meant it. Loki and Steve in the same room wasn’t that great of a thought, but Tony couldn’t help but smile. “You want to play my big brother?”

Steve returned his smile. “Yeah… the way you talk about the kid… I won’t be able to talk you out of it. So I want to meet him… when he has his clothes on.”

When Tony had arrived here he hadn’t thought that he would be laughing today. Now he was. “Okay… I’ll bring him over…” Releasing a long breath Tony slumped back against the backrest, closing his eyes for a moment. Maybe this could work out. Maybe he wouldn’t lose any of them. “Can you… hug me for a second… I was scared shitless that you would throw me out…”

So he still was able to make Steve’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, shut up! You idiot!” Steve’s arms closed around him and Tony buried his face against his shoulder. He felt like crying but for the right reason.

 ***

Collapsing on the couch Tony didn’t even glance at the mess that he hadn’t bothered to clean up. He had to do that eventually, but not now. Too soon to let go of his high, that feeling that everything could work out.

Reaching for his phone Tony scanned through the menu and tapped on Loki’s name. It took an unusual long time for Loki to pick up. Just when he was starting to worry, he heard that lovely voice. “Hey Tony… everything worked out?”

By the sound of his voice alone Tony could tell that Loki had been thinking about this all day. That alone made Tony smile. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but… it worked out great.”

“Really?” Yes, Loki didn’t believe it too.

“You were right… when I explained it to him…he listened and I… Steve still has a lot of issues with it, but… he understands that I’m not a creep and that you’re not just… in it for fun. He doesn’t… He is not angry anymore and actually it felt good to talk with somebody about it. With Steve…”

Loki didn’t respond immediately, he was probably surprised. “That’s good. Really good…”

“Yeah, it is… how did things turn out for your?”

Loki snorted. “I’m grounded.”

What a nice, terrible reality check for Tony.

“But I’m sure I can get away if you want me to and…”

“No, babe. You stay where you are. At the moment it’s better to let things calm down a little bit… can’t believe I’m asking that… how long are you grounded?”

“Two weeks, but Odin leaves for a business trip in three days and then I’ll be able to do whatever I want…”

That sounded way better. “Perfect… Steve wants to meet you.”

“What? Why?”

“Because… he wants to make sure that I am okay and that you won’t… fuck me over.”

“I wouldn’t…”

“I know, okay. I know and Steve will know too. Don’t worry about it.”

Another pause and Tony began to think that he had scared him off. “Wait… I want to get this right… You want me to meet your best friend? To show him that I… am serious about… that I like you? That’s not what people usually do when they’re having an affair… so if you want me to meet him…”

Tony smiled softly, Loki’s rambling was somewhat endearing. “I’m not just trying to smooth things over. I actually want you to meet my best friend. Not like yesterday…”

“And you are going to introduce me how? This is Loki, my… what?”

Sighing softly Tony still couldn’t stop smiling. “How about the guy I’m dating? Would that be good enough?”

“Yeah… Yeah, that’s more than enough. That’s great. That’s… I was so worried that you would… change your mind the second I leave…” Loki seemed happy and unsure at the same time and Tony laughed softly. “Relax… Okay, I admit I was losing my mind over the Steve situation, but… he’s the only guy I can always rely on and his opinion is the only one that matters to me. The thought of him being mad at me… is completely freaking me out. I had to calm down and… now it’s okay and it was good to have somebody to talk with… about you.”

“Can I have more details on that?”

“You’ve ever had to make a decision when you were completely clueless and then somebody else could offer you a new perspective that really helped? Look, this whole thing we’ve gotten ourselves into is still crazy, but… I’ve dated a lot of people and some of them were idiots. I didn’t even like most of them. I like you. Very much. Obviously you aren’t an idiot and still we’re going to have more problems than all the other people I’ve been with… but I am a certified genius and you are smart as hell. Think we can figure this stuff out?” Closing his eyes Tony tried to hear every single sound at the other end of the line and he was quite sure he heard Loki gasp. Very quietly. He was beaming, tony was sure.

“What happened to you ‘I’m never going to be your boyfriend’? Not that I’m complaining, but… Really, what happened?”

“You… are awesome and you give a shit about me. That never happens and… I feel the strange urge to fuck up everybody who upsets you, so… Yeah. Let’s not make this overly complicated.”

“You are such an idiot.”

“I know… you love me anyways.” It was just joking around and Loki’s honest response still managed to knock all air out of Tony’s lungs. “Yeah, I do. If I can get out of here on Tuesday… you’ll have time for me? I’ll tell my mom he’ll be hanging out with Pietro. I’ll come up with something…”

Eagerly Tony nodded. “Sure… you want to come to my place?”

There was hesitation. “Yes, but… is that okay? Or a good idea?”

No, it wasn’t, but Tony had to make up for a lot of bullshit that he had put Loki through. “For now, yeah. I’ll figure out something better, don’t worry. So see you on Tuesday?”

“Definitely… now tell me more about how things went down with Steve.”

They talked for another hour before Loki ended the call, sounding almost sad about it and Tony couldn’t help himself, he was head over heels about this. After their call had ended Tony kept lying there for a while, enjoying the thought that everything could maybe work out for him. He would need a new place, without any of Howard’s money involved. Another thing that Tony should have done ages ago…

Of course the devil was just waiting around the corner and in this case he had decided to call Tony just now. That fucking ringtone which told him that Howard wanted to screw up everything once more. No, Tony wasn’t going to freak out over this. Casually answering the call Tony sighed. “Fuck off, Howard. I am happy, you don’t get to fuck me over.”

Hanging up Tony sighed contently and then rolled over. Time to get to work. There was no denying that it was still scaring the fuck out of Tony, but Loki was right and now that Tony had an idea of what his life could be like… he wasn’t going to give it up.

Grabbing his laptop Tony opened a file that he hadn’t looked at in quite some time. Most probably they would slam the door shut in front of him, but Tony had to try. He wasn’t going to be the one backing down again, because he was afraid.

 ***

“Mr. Johnson, Miss van Dyne is going to see you now.”

Tony could have really chosen a funnier pseudonym, but Johnson had done the job. He nodded softly and got up from the leather chair to follow the assistant into the office. Well, now he was going to see if the human resources manager knew what a thing or two about the industry.

A young woman, rather pretty, was waiting for him. “Mr. Johnson, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Miss van Dyne.” With a smile Tony sat down and the second the assistant shut the door behind her Hope van Dyne’s expression turned to ice. Well, question answered, she knew her stuff.

“Johnson? Are you playing an elaborate joke on me, Mr. Stark?”

Okay, Tony had expected distrust and a cold shoulder. Her hostility was still taking him aback. “I apologize, Miss van Dyne, but I knew an application with my own name on it would have immediately landed in the shredder.”

Crossing her arms in front of her chest Hope leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you trying to tell me that this is a real job interview? Isn’t Borrson Corp paying you well enough? Is your parking lot too far away from the main entrance?”

It was necessary to remain calm and cool, Tony knew that she wasn’t going to make it easy for him and it was very likely that he was going to get kicked out any second. Still, he had to try, because Pym Technologies was his only option.

“I assure you, Miss van Dyne, my application is serious. I used a false name to have the possibility to actually talk to you. Everything else in my portfolio is absolutely accurate. Pym Technologies is one of the pioneers in holographic technology and one of the few places with the necessary resources to reach a breakthrough. I want to help you to get there.”

Judging by her casual movements Hope still wasn’t taking him seriously. “As far as I know Stark Industries has laboratories that reach the same standard as ours and they are run by your father. Isn’t that a far more attractive workplace?”

“Honestly? No. My father is the reason why I’m not working in a lab although I have all the credentials to do it. I know what you’re thinking… the son of your greatest industrial rival is asking for a job? Sounds fishy… it isn’t. Everybody knows I’m at odds with my father and my position at Borrson Corp is… not to my liking. Pym Technologies is a chance for me to do what I want to do, what I’m good at. You’ve read my portfolio I am more than qualified for the job. I’m asking you to take my skills into consideration, not my name.”

Hope straightened her back and leaned forward. Tony’s heart skipped a beat, knowing that he had caught her interest. “Mr. Stark, you should know that your name is quite an important factor.”

“Is that why you go by your mother’s name?”

Her mouth twitched and Tony didn’t know if he had made an irreparable mistake or his best move so far. “I use it, because I don’t want to be defined by my father’s name… Alright, let’s pretend your application is serious. The son of a CEO wants to work for his father’s biggest rival. Your chances of becoming CEO of Stark Industries yourself one day would be gone.”

“Miss van Dyne, I have no chance of ever being CEO of Stark Industries. I’ve known that for a very long time and to be honest… that’s probably for the better. I didn’t study economics, I went to MIT. I’m wasted in an office. The reason why I’m sitting there is my surname. Plain and simple. We both know our fathers hate each other, that doesn’t bother me. I have no ties whatsoever to Stark Industries and I don’t plan on going back there if I should have the opportunity to leave. I’m just asking for a chance.”

Tony felt that being a beggar didn’t suit him, but he didn’t have another choice. Better not to get his hopes up high.

“My father would never employ someone whose last name is Stark.”

“But he would employ somebody who hates Howard Stark’s guts?”

This time he didn’t imagine her smirk. “Alright, Mr. Stark. Let’s play a game of pretend and talk about your skills. How would you be an enrichment for Pym Technologies?”

The smile reappeared on Tony’s face. Finally the part he was good at. Talking about how great he was. Hope van Dyne was tough conversation partner, she didn’t make it easy for him, but Tony had a lot of experience with that thanks to Loki. He responded to her questions and although she didn’t laugh at his hilarious physics joke, Tony was sure that he was doing quite well.

Finally Hope closed his portfolio. “I will be honest, Mr. Stark. You are more than qualified for the job, but your surname is a huge red flag.”

Tony felt his heart sink. “Oh…”

“I can’t hire you, but… I will get you an appointment with my father. You’ll have to convince him yourself.”

Swallowing softly Tony nodded. He hadn’t thought that he would actually get this far. An appointment with Hank Pym. Damn, he would need a lot of preparation for that. “Thank you. That’s amazing… Uhm… when?”

“My father is in the building and when I’m done explaining the situation to him, he’ll immediately want to talk to you.”

Okay, why the hell not?

Exactly 36 minutes later Tony felt himself getting smaller and smaller beneath Hank Pym’s cold gaze. Cool, he was already scared of his future boss.

“When Hope told me about this, I thought she was making a very unfunny joke. So, what’s your deal, Stark? What game is your father playing and what is he offering you so you’ll play along?”

As soon as he was finished talking Tony had to try to not grit his teeth. “I am not playing games. I want to work for you and Howard has nothing to do with it.”

“My experience tells me that your father…”

“Okay, yeah, I know you hate my… Howard. You can join the club, because I am the president. That was a very unprofessional thing to say, but I’ll be honest… I want to cut all ties with Stark Industries. I am an engineer and I want to work as one, Howard is never going to give me that chance. I hoped that you might do that, I am qualified, I am smart and I am perfectly able to help your company to become the leading force in…”

“You are doing a desk job at Borrson Corp. Why?” Pym interrupted him without batting an eyelid and Tony took a breath. “That’s not…”

“Mr. Stark, you claim to be qualified to do this job, but you aren't already doing it. If your own father doesn’t think you are capable of doing it… why should I be inclined to think that you are anything else but a rich boy whose father bought him a MIT diploma?”

That was a challenge. Pym only wanted to see him react. To get to him and fuck, he knew what to say. Tony balled his hand to a fist and it was still shaking. No, he wasn’t going to screw this up. He wasn’t the loser that Howard thought him to be. “That I’m working at Borrson Corp has nothing to do with my skills, but with…”

Every single part of Tony refused to talk about this. It was nobody’s business.

“I’m waiting, Mr. Stark. Don’t waste my time.”

“I am being punished.” Tony forced the words out and Pym arched an eyebrow. “What for?”

“Being a complete failure? I was born with a heart failure, so Howard knew I was going to become a weakling. I refused to fit into the shape that he wanted to push me in. I have no interest in business. I want to create things, to push the limits. I know that money is necessary to do that, but creating money is not my primary goal. I don’t want to suck up to every asshole in a suit, because he is some important guy. I prefer beer to champagne and for some reason that also pisses him off. There is also the fact that I’m bi-sexual… That is a lot of private information and none of it is any of your business. I am perfectly qualified to work for you and I want to do that. You don’t have to like me or my father… and with all due respect you would be stupid to not accept my services, because of my last name… sir.”

Having said all that, Tony just wanted to get out of here. He almost didn’t care about Pym’s decision at this point, he just wanted that moment to end and then talk to Loki.

Pym’s eyes were still drilling holes into him and his face didn’t give anything away. “Fine, convince me of your credentials. I am willing to give my employees a lot of freedom if they have good ideas. What would be your first project?”

Oh, Tony would tell him. Tony would blow his fucking socks off.

 ***

“Hey!” Tony almost fell to the floor when Loki pretty much jumped at him. “I missed you!”

A mouth was pressed on his and Tony had to push him away to be able to breathe. “Wow, give me a second, will you?” Laughing softly Tony pulled him into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

“There. Was that long enough?” Loki was kissing him again and Tony smiled into the kiss. They were making out right next to the door which was always amazing. Tony could get him to move to the couch, but Loki insisted on continuing to kiss. There were worse things in the world.

“When is Steve going to show up?” Loki was mumbling that against Tony’s lips and he didn’t sound quite as cool now as on the phone. “In 15 minutes.”

That definitely ended the kiss and Loki looked like he was about to start pouting. “That means no sex today?”

“No, you’ll survive.” Tony kissed him again and Loki’s sigh was absolutely lovely. “But sex might help to calm me down…”

“Hey, there’s no reason to be nervous. He’s my best friend and he’ll not start yelling again. He wants to make sure that you’re not going to fuck me over. You aren’t… so there’ll be no reason to freak out.” Playfully Tony brushed a strand of hair behind Loki’s ear and he received a soft nod. “Okay… if you say so… he’s not going to give us another speech about me being too young and you…”

Tony easily shut him up with a kiss and pulled Loki against himself. It had almost been a week and Tony had thought about him every night, had missed to touch him and to kiss him. He was in love with a teenager. For some reason it didn’t sound so bad.

They were just hanging around on the couch, kissing, cuddling and Tony ran his hand up and down Loki’s back, enjoying his presence. When there was finally this knock on the door he felt Loki tensing up and Tony kissed him one more time. “It’ll be fine.”

Loki nodded and followed him to the door. Steve was smiling, already a good sign. “Hey Tony.”

“Hey…” Tony trailed off when Loki grabbed his hand, probably trying to immediately show Steve that they were… a couple? “Hey… uhm… our first introduction didn’t work out so well, so… I’m Loki.”

10 seconds here and Steve was already in for his first surprise. “Right, uhm… Hi, I’m Steve. Nice to meet you…”

Okay, this was already turning awkward. “Come in. Sit down, I’ll get you something to drink.”

Tony did just that and when he came back into the living room Steve was already playing big brother. “Listen, there is no reason why we shouldn’t get this out of the way immediately. Who Tony chooses to be with is none of my business and I don’t have to approve. What I think about this doesn’t matter. Tony is my best friend and I want to know if you’re aware of the fact that you could ruin his life.”

“Steve!” Tony let out a hiss, but Steve didn’t take his eyes off Loki who didn’t blink. “I would never get Tony into trouble.” Firm without hesitation.

“I’m not saying that, but somebody could find out and it won’t be you who…”

“I am not stupid. I am very aware of that… that’s why I won’t do anything… stupid. I won’t get him into trouble. I can live without making out on the street, I don’t need to go on real dates. Yet. In a year I will be old enough and we will be able to do all that and no, I won’t get jealous and call the cops or do something fucked up like that…. I love Tony, I wouldn’t do anything to… get him into trouble.”

Every word sounded so perfectly honest and real and Tony was so amazed that Loki could say them to a perfect stranger. There was that feeling of proud, to have done something that Loki was so fond of him.

Steve nodded slowly, still frowning softly. “Okay… and what would happen if Tony met somebody else? Somebody his age with whom he could go out and do all the things he can’t do with you? If he left you for somebody else?”

Loki flinched and Tony growled. “Steve, cut it out.”

“No, Tony, that’s important.”

“That would suck. No, that would be fucking terrible, but… I don’t want to be a little bitch that decides to hate their ex… I don’t treat people like shit. My family does, not me. I am not that kind of person.”

There something in Loki’s eyes, something so vulnerable that Tony couldn’t stand it. Sitting down he wrapped one arm around Loki’s waist and pressed a kiss onto his temple. Steve seemed a bit uncomfortable, but then nodded softly. “Okay…I guess that’s all I wanted to hear… So, you Tony said you’re Icelandic. Where comes the British accent from?”

Loki blinked in surprise, his mouth dropping slightly open. That was it? No more question, no more lecturing. Tony was still trying to wrap his head around that when Loki started to explain his upbringing in different countries.

All Tony did was sitting there and listening to them. It was strangely fascinating, his best friend and Loki talking and they seemed to get along just fine. Sure, there still awkward attempts to keep the conversation going at every cost Steve winced every time Loki said the word ‘school’, but they were here, they were talking and Tony though that this could be it.

During their conversation Tony didn’t let go of Loki and every now and then he got one of those lovely smiles.

Eventually Loki got up and told them he had to leave and Tony asked himself where the time had gone.

“You’ll call me, right?” Loki asked when Tony had brought him to the door. “Sure thing.” Leaning in Tony kissed him, then moved to whisper into his ear. “He likes you. I can tell…”

Loki reacted with a smile, brushed his lips over Tony one more than and then left. It was only Tony and Steve now. Steve who chuckled in amusement. “Yeah, you got it bad. Both of you. I thought it would be creepy, but it’s surprisingly sweet.”

“Well, thanks… for the weirdest compliment ever.”

Grabbing a beer Tony sat back down next to Steve. “Okay, I’m ready. Give it to me. Straight… I can take it.”

Steve lowered his eyes and Tony readied himself. “I like him. You were right, he is smart, he isn’t talking like the average 16 year old and I’m pretty sure that he won’t do anything to… You know.”

Those were perfect news, so why did Steve still have this look on his face. “Tony, are you sure you can do this? You pretty much can’t leave the house with him. No real dates, no meetings with friends. No parties or the most normal things… Sure, he’ll be legal in a year, but people probably won’t stop looking funny at you until he’s 20…”

“I don’t fucking care. I dated so many people with whom I could do all of that, but it didn’t work out, because in the end… they didn’t look at me like he did or said the stuff that he says. He’s… good for me. He’s…” Licking his lips Tony smiled. “I am going to quit tomorrow.”

Both of Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean?”

“I got a new job at Pym Technologies. I get to work in a lab for the man Howard hates most in the world. It’s amazing… Okay, I got the weirdest contract, so I will get sued into the apocalypse if I sell any secrets to Stark Industries, but… I get to do what I want, Steve. Also I’m going to move out next week. My new job doesn’t pay quite as good, but I am finally out, Steve. I’m out.”

It wasn’t possible express how much that meant to him. To be able to sit down with his tools in his hands, doing some actual work that was of use. Not having Howard looking over his shoulder every fucking second. Leaving his home in the morning with a smile on his face instead with that feeling of dread.

“That’s great, Tony, really. I’m happy for you, I know you’ve wanted this for a long time, but… why now?”

“Because… I got scared that if I kept doing something I hate and let it make me bitter… that he wouldn’t want me anymore. That he wouldn’t look at me anymore like… I’m the greatest thing ever...”

Steve didn’t say anything in response, just shook his head and smiled.


End file.
